Discrimination: Northern Ireland

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) investigations,  (b) arrests,  (c) charges and  (d) successful prosecutions for stirring up hatred or arousing fear on the grounds of (i) religious belief, (ii) ethnicity, (iii) race, (iv) nationality and citizenship, (v) sexual orientation and (vi) disability were made in Northern Ireland in each year since the relevant legislation was enacted in 1987.

Paul Goggins: The table sets out information recorded in relation to these offences and clearance figures for the period 1998 to October 2007. Assessing information prior to 1998 would incur disproportionate costs.
	Hate crimes take many forms such as verbal abuse, physical assault, intimidation and damage to property. This question specifies categories for "stirring up hatred or arousing fear" therefore statistics supplied do not include incidents which have been committed against any person or property.
	
		
			   Recorded( 1)  Cleared( 1)  Motivation appears to be 
			 1998-99 0 0 — 
			 1999-2000 0 0 — 
			 2000-01 0 0 — 
			 2001-02 0 0 — 
			 2002-03 0 0 — 
			 2003-04 1 1 Racist, cleared by juvenile advise and warning 
			 2004-05 0 0 — 
			 2005-06 1 0 Sectarian 
			 2006-07 3 0 One sectarian and two racist 
			 1 April to 31 October 2007 0 0 — 
			 (1) Includes the following offences under the Public Order (NI) Order 1987: Incitement to hatred Distributing written material to incite hatred Possession of matter intended to stir up hatred/arouse fear  Source: Central Statistics Unit, PSNI

Irish language

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Government intend to take to fulfil its commitment in Annex B of the St. Andrew's Agreement to introduce an Irish Language Act reflecting on the experience of Wales and the Republic of Ireland.

Paul Goggins: Prior to the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly the Government released two consultation papers on Irish language legislation, the first on 13 December 2006 and the second, containing draft clauses for such legislation, on 13 March 2007. In doing so the Government honoured their commitment in Annex B of the St. Andrew's Agreement as far as possible. However upon the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly on 8 May 2007, responsibility for this matter passed, in the first instance, to the devolved administration.
	The Northern Ireland Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure has indicated his intention to work with the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure to find a resolution to this matter and we await the outcome of that process.

Bus Services: Concessions

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if she will make it her policy to meet the actual costs of free off-peak bus travel within each local authority area;
	(2)  what representations she has received from local authorities on the costs of extending free off-peak bus travel next year.

Rosie Winterton: From April 2006, older and eligible disabled people have been guaranteed free off-peak local bus travel within their local authority area. The Government provided an extra £350 million in 2006-07 and a further £367.5 million in 2007-08, via the Formula Grant system, to fund the extra costs to local authorities. The Government are confident that this should be sufficient to cover the total additional costs to local authorities of this improvement in the statutory minimum. Any discretionary local enhancements, such as peak bus travel, are funded from an authority's own resources.
	The Government are providing local authorities in England an extra £212 million next year for the English national bus concession. This extra funding is based on generous assumptions about the probable cost impact of the new concession and we are confident this will be sufficient in aggregate.
	We have had a number of letters from local authorities about the costs of the national bus concession. The Department is currently consulting on the formula basis for distributing the £212 million by special grant; the consultation closes on 23 November. As of 13 November we have had 43 responses. Details of the responses will be published after the consultation closes.
	In addition, we will be providing local authorities with approximately £30 million for the issuing of the national pass.

Motor Vehicles: Licensing

David Clelland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many registered vehicle owners failed to comply with statutory off-road notification declarations in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05,  (c) 2005-06 and  (d) 2006-07.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of people identified as failing to comply with Statutory Off Road Notification legislation and who had enforcement action taken against them(1) is shown in the table.
	(1) In the 2003-04 financial year enforcement did not pick up 100 per cent. of those who had failed to comply. Complete figures to answer the question are not available for that year. In all other years all people who were identified as failing to comply were the subject of enforcement action.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003-04 1,394,317 
			 2004-05 1,183,544 
			 2005-06 1,341,598 
			 2006-07 1,272,384

Motor Vehicles: Licensing

David Clelland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles were declared off road under statutory off-road notification declarations in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05,  (c) 2005-06 and  (d) 2006-07.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In 2003-04 DVLA received 2.65 million Statutory Off Road Notifications. In 2004-05 the figure was 3.66 million, in 2005-06 it was 4.19 million and in 2006-07 it was 4.20 million.

Railways: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many long distance trains due to stop at Milton Keynes under the proposed new timetable will only either drop off or pick up passengers during  (a) peak and  (b) off peak times.

Tom Harris: Heading north, one train per hour is currently designated as pick up only. Between 1642 and 1942 inclusive, it is proposed that this will apply to all long distance services. In the southbound direction, one train only per hour will be set down only across the course of the traffic day.

Fishing Industry: EC Action

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on possible changes to EU labour law exemptions for the fishing sector; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government will consider in detail any proposals for changes to EU labour law exemptions for the fishing sector. Any such proposals would need to be considered in the context of the provisions of two recent international conventions agreed in the International Labour Organisation, the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 and the Work in Fishing Convention, 2007.

Fly Tipping: Agriculture

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of fly tipping on farmland; and what plans he has to require contractors to produce site waste management plans to prevent fly tipping.

Joan Ruddock: DEFRA does not hold data on the number of fly-tipping incidents, or cost of clear-up, of fly-tipping on private land, including farmland. However, a report conducted on behalf of the Environment Agency in 2005-06 estimated the cost of clearing fly-tipping from agricultural land to be around £47 million.
	We have recently consulted on proposals to make Site Waste Management Plans (SWMPs) a requirement for construction, demolition and excavation work above a certain size. Following the consultation and further research on the costs and benefits of producing and implementing SWMPs, it is proposed to set the threshold level for SWMPs at a project cost of £300,000.
	SWMPs will help ensure that all waste on construction sites is managed responsibly and in accordance with waste management controls. Plans will record or make reference to the waste carrier's registration and waste transfer notes to ensure an audit trail of all waste leaving sites to reduce the likelihood of it being fly-tipped. The construction project client will be required to produce the plan before work begins on site. Responsibility for updating and implementing it will then transfer to the principal contractor.
	Site Waste Management Plan Regulations are expected to come into force in April 2008 and will apply in England only.

Gangmasters Licensing Authority: Wales

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff the Gangmasters Licensing Authority employs to cover Wales.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Gangmasters Licensing Authority has 29 field officers throughout the GB and NI. Field officers either check that licensed gangmasters are complying with their licence conditions or enforce the offences established by the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004. While no officers are permanently based in Wales, all field officers may be deployed to conduct operations in that country.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he plans to take to encourage Government departments and local authorities to publish their annual greenhouse gas emissions.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 15 November 2007
	 DEFRA currently publishes the annual emissions of carbon dioxide for local authority areas. In addition, following the introduction of a new local government performance framework in April 2008, local authorities will be required to report annually the reductions in the CO2 produced as a result of their own operations. The Sustainable Development Commission publishes information on CO2 emissions from central Government Departments in its Sustainable Development in Government Report. CO2 emissions comprise over 80 per cent. of greenhouse gas emissions.

Packaging: EU Law

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on best practice in the implementation of the EC Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste 94/62/EC.

Joan Ruddock: My officials meet regularly with their counterparts in other member states, as well as the European Commission, to discuss implementation of this directive.
	In May, the then Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Shields (David Miliband) wrote to EU Environment Commissioner Dimas calling for a review of the aspects of the directive so that member states could take more effective action against clear cases of over packaging. The Commission has since indicated its intention to review the implementation and enforcement of these provisions over the coming months.
	I will continue to keep this matter under review and intend to discuss it with packaging industry representatives in early 2008.

Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on  (a) supporting and  (b) financing the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 14 November 2007
	 DEFRA supports the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP) on behalf of the Government and the devolved Administrations by providing:
	a budget of £920,000 for this financial year to cover costs of the Commission and its Secretariat;
	a contribution of £170,000 over two years for the RCEP current study on "The environmental effects of novel materials and applications" because of its relevance to DEFRA's agenda on Sustainable Consumption and Production;
	a service for the appointment of Commissioners; and
	a service for Human Resources and Information Technology.
	Financing of the RCEP was addressed in a review of the RCEP which was published in July 2007. The review, conducted by independent consultants, concluded that there is continuing need for the RCEP but that it needs to modernise its way of working to improve its level of impact and effectiveness.
	DEFRA is working with other Government Departments, the devolved Administrations and the RCEP to formulate a government response to the review recommendations which will include a position on RCEP future funding. As with any other advisory body we fund, we require RCEP to clearly demonstrate value for money.

Seas and Oceans: EC action

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: An Integrated Maritime Policy for the European Union, COM(2007) 575 final, if he will make a statement on the proposed network of maritime clusters and the possible effect on UK interests.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
	In England, a number of Regional Development Agencies have already established organisations in their own regions, bringing together maritime manufacturing interests, for example Marine South West, Marine South East and Midland Marine Alliance. The Government fully supports these initiatives. We look forward to working with the European Commission to ensure that whatever proposals finally emerge, they will really add value to the current arrangements.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many field hospitals are available for deployment in Afghanistan;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the training scheme for field hospital workers in Iraq and Afghanistan;
	(3)  how many people are in training to work in field hospitals in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan;
	(4)  how many field hospitals are available for deployment in Iraq;
	(5)  how many field hospitals are deployed in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq;
	(6)  how many field hospitals were available for deployment in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq in January;
	(7)  how many field hospitals were deployed in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq in January.

Derek Twigg: Fully-formed Field Hospitals are not maintained in the UK available for deployment, but are individually made up and deployed in accordance with formal operational planning assumptions, with the personnel rotating on a regular basis.
	In Afghanistan, the UK has one Field Hospital (Role 2 (Enhanced)) at Camp Bastion, which has been in location since June 2006. The UK is also providing a contribution of 12 personnel to the Multinational Role 3 Field Hospital at Kandahar, for which Canada is the lead nation.
	In Iraq, the UK has one Role 2 (Enhanced) facility at the Combined Operating Base Field Hospital in Basrah. This has been in its current location since the end of December 2006. It had been situated at the Shaibah Logistic Base since March 2003.
	Field Hospitals will be staffed by fully-trained medical personnel, both Regular and Reserve members of the Defence Medical Services (DMS). Many Regular DMS staff will work alongside civilian colleagues in NHS hospitals, maintaining their clinical skills and qualifications in an active, up-to-date environment, allowing them to deploy quickly as part of operational Field Hospitals when required. Additionally, the vast majority of the Reservist medical personnel deployed to operations are NHS employees. The training they gain in their NHS jobs is indispensable for ensuring the quality of the frontline care they help to provide.
	Since all personnel are fully trained medically, they do not require medical training before deploying to Iraq or Afghanistan, but they do undertake specific pre-deployment training. The training includes a range of theatre-specific briefings and training, including weapon training, live firing and fitness. In addition, specific medical training for Field Hospital personnel deployed to either Iraq or Afghanistan is conducted. This includes a pre-hospital exercise for the Reserve forces deployed, and six days of medical training. This covers both directed medical training and collective hospital training in a Field Hospital simulator. Each collective hospital exercise is validated and a report produced. The medical training is widely acknowledged to be excellent.
	Each Field Hospital provides a deployed hospital care capability that includes emergency medicine, primary surgery, intensive care unit, medium and low dependency nursing care beds and diagnostic support (including CT Scanner), as well as a mission-tailored variety of clinical specialities for deployed medical care.
	The Field Hospitals are an integral part of the Joint Medical Group in both Theatres. The Iraq hospital is currently manned to 106, and in Afghanistan to 90. Field Hospital personnel usually deploy for a six-month tour of duty. There are exceptions within the clinical staff, and consultant grade personnel and other selected clinicians complete between six to 12 weeks. Some nursing staff and other allied health care professions also complete a 12-week tour of duty.

Armed Forces: Officers

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) established and  (b) current trained strength of officers in the Army is, broken down by arm.

Bob Ainsworth: The following table shows the trained officer strength and Regular Army Liability (RAL) as at 1 March 2007 by Arm Service. The difference between liability and trained strength is attributable to: Operational requirements; the impact of extended courses; and long-term absence, for example due to illness or pregnancy.
	
		
			  Current UKTAP officer manning state by arm/service as at 1 March 2007 
			  Arm/service  RAL 06  Strength 
			 Total 13,250 13,840 
			 STAFF 720 830 
			 HCAV/RAC 840 850 
			 RA 1,010 1,040 
			 RE 1,200 1,220 
			 R SIGNALS 930 1,010 
			 INFANTRY 2,490 2,730 
			 AAC 490 520 
			 RAChD 150 140 
			 RLC 1,580 1,640 
			 RAMC 950 1,040 
			 REME 770 840 
			 AGC (PRO) 210 220 
			 AGC (SPS) 440 480 
			 AGO (ETS) 310 350 
			 AGC (ALS) 120 110 
			 RAVC 30 30 
			 SASC 30 30 
			 RADC 160 140 
			 INT CORPS 320 290 
			 APTC 50 50 
			 GENERAL LIST — — 
			 QARANC 410 260 
			 CA Mus 30 40 
			 — = denotes zero or rounded to zero.  Notes: 1. Figures are shown as at 1 March 2007 as reliable Army strength statistics to this level are not yet available for 1 April 2007 onwards. This is due to the ongoing validation of Army data following the introduction of the new Personnel Administration System. 2. Figures are for UK regular forces trained officers and therefore excludes Gurkhas, Full-Time Reserve Service personnel, the Home Service Battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised reservists. 3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 to prevent disclosure of sensitive personal data. Due to the rounding methods used, totals may not always equal the sum of the parts.

Departmental Catering

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the staff canteen at the headquarters building is subsidised.

Derek Twigg: The canteen in the Ministry of Defence Main Building is not directly subsidised; however, the contractor providing the catering service is not charged for either the space or utilities.

Departmental Manpower

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the full-time equivalent headcount in his Department is; what the forecast full-time equivalent headcount for his Department is for  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Historical manpower statistics back to 1998 are published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and are available online at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/.
	Forecast levels for MOD civilian personnel on 1 April 2008 were published in the Government's expenditure plans 2007-08. These (together with a separate figure for Royal Fleet Auxiliary [RFA] Personnel) are set out as follows.
	
		
			   Number 
			 Level 1 civilian(1) 72,000 
			 RFA (included in Level 1 civilian figures above) 2,300 
			 Locally engaged civilians (LEC) non-operational 11,000 
			 LEC operational 2,400 
			 Trading funds 10,100 
			 Total civilian 95,500 
			 (1 )Level 1 includes permanent and casual civilian personnel and Royal Fleet Auxiliaries but excludes trading funds 
		
	
	The requirement for civilian manpower beyond 2008 is kept under constant review and has not yet been set formally.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on mobile telephone  (a) handsets and  (b) calls for departmental advisers in 2006-07.

Derek Twigg: The total cost of mobile telephone handsets and calls for departmental advisers, in 2006-07 was £741.
	It is not possible to break this figure down between the cost of handsets and calls as this information is not held in the format requested.

Guinea-Bissau: EU Defence Policy

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the status is of the proposed European Security and Defence Policy Mission to Guinea Bissau;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on a European Security and Defence Policy mission to Guinea Bissau.

Des Browne: There have not yet been discussions at ministerial level within the EU of a possible European Security and Defence Policy mission to Guinea-Bissau. There have, however, been preliminary discussions at official level, based on the report of a recent joint Council/Commission fact-finding mission. No decisions have yet been taken.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what surface-to-air missile defence assets are in use by British forces in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan.

Bob Ainsworth: All UK aircraft operating in conditions where they are in range of surface to air missiles are equipped with appropriate defensive aid suites.
	I am withholding further information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Remembrance Day

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans exist to amend guidelines on the participation of serving members of the armed forces in acts of remembrance at the Cenotaph.

Derek Twigg: There are no guidelines regarding the participation of serving members of the armed forces in acts of remembrance specifically at the Cenotaph. The Army's Headquarters London District and the Royal British Legion are represented at meetings chaired by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to discuss detailed arrangements for the Remembrance Sunday service and march-past at the Cenotaph, including armed forces participation.
	The general guidance in Queens Regulations with respect to the Day of National Remembrance is that
	"Establishments and units are to conform generally to such arrangements as may be made by local authorities for the celebration of Remembrance Day services."

Remembrance Day

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons soldiers recuperating at Headley Court were denied permission to take part in acts of remembrance on 11 November 2007.

Derek Twigg: Responsibility for the organisation of the ceremony at the Cenotaph rests with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and, for participation in the march-past, with The Royal British Legion (TRBL).
	In the week before Remembrance Sunday, DCMS received an approach from TRBL, via the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court, for up to six wounded service personnel and carers to view the ceremony at the Cenotaph. DCMS and TRBL made provision accordingly within a designated disabled viewing area outside the Treasury building; ushers were on hand to provide assistance if required and a disabled toilet was located nearby. On the day, two patients from Headley Court attended the Cenotaph service.
	So far as I can establish, neither DCMS nor the Ministry of Defence was consulted about excluding applications from injured service personnel to attend the ceremony or to participate in the march-past.

Nuclear Decommissioning Agency: Finance

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the implications of the Comprehensive Spending Review are for funding of  (a) the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency and  (b) the decommissioning of nuclear power stations.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 12 November 2007
	The Comprehensive Spending Review provides the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority with funding to deliver a full programme of nuclear decommissioning and clean up in line with its strategy and business plans.

Nuclear Power Stations: Decommissioning

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the decommissioning costs for Magnox power stations if decommissioning starts  (a) now,  (b) in 2008 and  (c) in 2009.

Malcolm Wicks: None. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is responsible for estimating the costs of decommissioning at it sites and for delivering safe, effective and efficient clean up and decommissioning. Estimates of the cost of decommissioning its sites, including the NDA's Magnox nuclear power stations are derived from Life Time Plans (cradle to grave estimates of the cost, scope, and schedule of nuclear decommissioning and clean up programmes in respect of the site in question). Details are available on the NDA website at www.nda.gov.uk

Opinion Leader Research

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many contracts were awarded by his Department and its predecessor to Opinion Leader Research in each year since 1997; and what was  (a) the title and purpose,  (b) the cost to the public purse and  (c) the dates of (i) tender, (ii) award, (iii) operation and (iv) completion and report to the Department for each such project.

Malcolm Wicks: Total payments by the Department to Opinion Leader Research for the financial years 2003-04 to 2006-07 have been as follows:
	
		
			   Payments (£) 
			 2003-04 41,768.26 
			 2004-05 52,702.23 
			 2005-06 115,711.28 
			 2006-07 106,719.37 
			 Total 316,901.14 
		
	
	These figures represent the total cost of all projects. It is not the Department's normal practice to publish the financial details of individual contracts, on the grounds that contracts with these companies are agreed under an implied duty of confidence, and include information that the companies would not want to make public or share with competitors. Information on payments made under contracts issued by the Department is only held centrally from 2003 onwards, and could not be produced for earlier periods without disproportionate cost.
	The individual projects carried out by Opinion Leader Research and funded by the Department are as follows:
	A project commissioned by the Small Business Council to explore small and medium sized enterprises' attitude to regulation. This project was put out to tender in September 2003 and the contract awarded in October 2003. A report 'Evaluation of Government Employment Regulations and Their Impact on Small Business' was published in March 2004.
	An assessment of the effectiveness of Government research spending carried out for the former Office of Science and Innovation in 2004 and 2005.
	An evaluation, carried out between the autumn of 2006 and June 2007, of the Department's debt advice project, which employed debt advisers giving face-to-face debt advice to the financially excluded. Their report, "Evaluation of the Financial Inclusion Fund Face-to-Face Debt Advice Project" was published on the Department's website in September 2007.
	An evaluation of two vulnerable worker pilot projects, set up as part of the Government's 'Success at Work' strategy. This project was put out to tender on 29 September 2006, and the contract awarded on 7 November 2006. The project is ongoing with the contract scheduled to be completed in July 2008.
	In addition to the sums above and in the current financial year, Opinion Leader were appointed by the Department, acting through the Central Office of Information, to conduct deliberative research with the public, as one part of the Government's consultation on the future of nuclear power. The project was put out to tender on 11 April 2007 and the contract awarded on 30 April 2007.
	In this case, I have already told the House that the total value of the contract is £772,626. Of this amount £655,452 was paid to Opinion Leader for activities associated with the design, delivery and reporting for the public deliberative events, and the remaining £117,174 has been paid to cover the costs of Dialogue by Design, a specialist sub-contractor who have managed the online consultation website on behalf of the Department. The final costs of the web-based activity have yet to be determined as they are dependent on the volume of materials received. Opinion Leader's report will be published as part of our response to the consultation.

Asylum: Applications

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of applications for indefinite leave to remain made by applicants who were  (a) eligible to be in the UK and  (b) not eligible to be in the UK were (i) not granted and (ii) granted within (A) 13 weeks, (B) six months, (C) a year, (D) 18 months, (E) two years, (F) two and a half years, (G) three years and (H) longer in each year since 2001.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 15 November 2007
	The information requested could only be obtained in the format required by the detailed examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.
	However, data for grants of settlement and refusals between 2001 and 2006 is contained in the Home Office Command Papers "Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom" for 2004, 2005 and 2006. A copy of the report is in the House of Commons Library.
	In the 2004 paper, table 2.1 on page 20 refers to annual refusal figures combining both extensions of leave and settlement.
	In the 2005 and 2006 papers, tables 4.2 on pages 62 and 60 respectively give data for grants of settlement and percentage refusals.
	The explanatory notes pertaining to settlement should be read in conjunction with these tables.

Asylum: Legal Aid

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support her Department gives to voluntary organisations who provide refused asylum-seekers with emergency legal advice and other services; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Border and Immigration Agency provides grant funding to five voluntary sector organisations for the provision of a network of 25 One Stop Services across the United Kingdom. These One Stop Services provide general support and advice to current and recently refused asylum claimants about the range of statutory and non-statutory support services available. The Border and Immigration Agency funding is not intended to be used to provide legal advice about the asylum process but the voluntary sector agencies will be in a position to signpost to the nearest qualified provider.

Human Trafficking: EC Action

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what incompatibilities there are between the requirements of the Council of Europe Convention on Action on Trafficking in Human Beings and domestic immigration legislation.

Liam Byrne: We judge that domestic immigration legislation is already largely compliant with the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. Victims of trafficking can already be identified, supported and where appropriate may be issued with limited or indefinite to remain in the UK under the existing legislative framework on immigration. We are currently reviewing whether changes to legislation, policies and procedures are necessary, including as part of the ongoing police-led anti-trafficking operation Pentameter 2, to ensure the United Kingdom is fully compliant with the requirements of the convention. In approaching this task, we will ensure that our arrangements to protect victims of crime, bring those who exploit them to justice, and avoid incentives to misuse the immigration system.

Sexual Offences: Registration

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in the exchange of sex offenders registers between the UK and the US.

Vernon Coaker: We made initial contact with US Department of Justice officials during a visit, earlier this year, which formed part of the Review of the Protection of Children from Sex Offenders. A meeting was conducted specifically to discuss the possibility of developing an arrangement for the exchange of appropriate data on convicted sex offenders between authorities in the UK and USA. This meeting was followed by a letter, at official level, from the Home Office to the Department of Justice seeking to progress work in this area. We intend, shortly, to pursue the matter at ministerial level as part of a broader effort to seek closer co-operation in tackling sex offenders.

Administration of Justice: Freemasonry

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether it remains the practice to require new applicants to become magistrates and members of the judiciary to declare membership of the Freemasons; and what declarations were made by each current office holder.

Maria Eagle: With effect from 1998 anyone appointed for the first time by the Lord Chancellor to judicial office, or including the magistracy, has been asked, as a condition of appointment, whether they belong to the Freemasons. They are further asked that they notify the Lord Chancellor if they subsequently join them. These requirements remain in force.
	Judicial office holders appointed before 1998 were not required to make a declaration. However, they were invited to make a voluntary declaration and the majority of them did so.
	The latest available figures indicate that 5.4 per cent. of judicial office holders and 6.4 per cent. of magistrates have declared that they are freemasons.

Crime: Victims

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance has been issued to staff in his Department and its public agencies with regard to the United Nations Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power and Annex.

Maria Eagle: We have not issued guidance relating to this 1985 UN Declaration. However, the Government remain firmly committed to rebalancing the Criminal Justice System in favour of victims and witnesses, and is compliant with the spirit of the Declaration. We have introduced extensive reforms, including a Victims Surcharge to divert money from offenders to victims, given a significant increase in resources to Victim Support, established witness care units to provide tailored support during trial, and introduced a code of practice to give victims statutory rights for the first time. Furthermore our criminal injuries compensation scheme is the most generous within the European Union, paying out some £200 million a year to around 30,000 victims of violent crime.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to review or reform the work of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.

Maria Eagle: The Government are still considering the future of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme following the public consultation launched by the Green Paper "Rebuilding Lives: supporting victims of crime", and will announce their intention in due course.

Fixed Penalties

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many penalty charge notices have been issued in each region of the UK in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many penalty charge notices have been issued by each local authority in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many penalty charge notices have been issued by each local authority in each of the last 12 months.

Maria Eagle: Under the Road Traffic Act 1991, Decriminalised Parking Enforcement (DPE) powers allow local authorities to take over responsibility for enforcing breaches of parking regulations from the police. Available information on penalty charge notices issued by result and individual local authority was first published in the annual Home Office publication "Offences relating to motor vehicles, England and Wales 2002, Supplementary tables"—tables 22(a) to 22(b) refer. Copies of the annual publications from 2002 to 2005 (latest available) are available in the Libraries of the House.
	Within England and Wales, penalty charge notices data are submitted to the Ministry of Justice on a calendar year basis from local authorities and do not contain a month by month breakdown.
	Information on matters arising in Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the Scottish Executive and the Northern Ireland Office respectively.

Peers: Taxation

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will include in any forthcoming legislation on Lords reform a requirement that all members of the second chamber sign a declaration annually confirming that they are UK residents for tax purposes.

Bridget Prentice: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and Lord Chancellor (Mr. Straw) outlined Government plans on the immediate next steps on House of Lords reform in his statement on 19 July 2007,  Official Report, column 449. My Department hopes to be able to publish a further White Paper shortly, with the aim of producing draft clauses that would form elements of the final draft Bill and formulating comprehensive reform proposals through the work of the cross-party working group on Lords reform.

Political Parties: Finance

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he received from trades unions on the financing of political parties in the last 12 months.

Jack Straw: In my capacity as one of my party's representatives involved in the cross party talks and inquiry led by Sir Hayden Phillips I discussed the issue of party funding with affiliated trade union representatives, and many others, on many occasions. The Labour party evidence to the Phillips inquiry, reflecting much of these discussions, is in the public domain.
	In my capacity as Secretary of State for Justice, I have received no representations from trade unions on the financing of political parties.

Political Parties: Finance

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the Government plans to consult before publishing proposals on the regulation of party funding and expenditure.

Jack Straw: The Government are considering currently what steps to take ahead of bringing forward proposals on the regulation of party funding and expenditure, and have been well informed of the parties' views by the parties' contributions to the Sir Hayden Phillips inquiry. The Review of the Funding of Political Parties, chaired by Sir Hayden Phillips conducted wide-ranging consultation of both political parties and the wider public.

Political Parties: Finance

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the emails, papers and correspondence produced by Sir Hayden Phillips and his team during the inter-party talks on party funding are deemed to be held by his Department for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Jack Straw: Sir Hayden Phillips's records are not deemed to be held by or on behalf of the Ministry of Justice for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. However, correspondence and copies of records sent by Sir Hayden Phillips to the Ministry of Justice are held by the Ministry of Justice for the purposes of the Act.

Prisoners

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many  (a) Chinese and  (b) Nigerian nationals are in prison in the UK;
	(2)  how many  (a) Lithuanian and  (b) Slovenian nationals are in prison in the UK;
	(3)  how many  (a) Bulgarian and  (b) Romanian nationals are in prison in the UK;
	(4)  how many  (a) Polish and  (b) Estonian nationals are in prison in the UK.

David Hanson: The information requested is published quarterly for England and Wales, within the regular prison population in custody statistics available from the Ministry of Justice website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/populationincustody.htm
	The following table shows the information requested:
	
		
			  Foreign national prisoners by nationality in prison establishments in England and Wales September 2007 
			   Number 
			 China 349 
			 Nigeria 1,098 
			 Lithuania 203 
			 Slovenia 5 
			 Bulgaria 33 
			 Romania 140 
			 Poland 362 
			 Estonia 22 
			  Note: Figures available from website: http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/population-in-custodySep07.pdf 
		
	
	Information on the numbers of foreign national prisoners serving prison sentences in prison establishments in Scotland and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of Scottish Executive and Northern Ireland Prison Service respectively.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners: Deportation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  with which countries the Government have concluded formal agreements for the return of foreign prisoners to serve a proportion of their sentence in their home country;
	(2)  what payments the Government have made to foreign countries for the transfer of foreign nationals imprisoned in the UK to serve the final part of their sentence in their home country.

David Hanson: The United Kingdom is a party to two multi-party prisoner transfer agreements, the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, and the Commonwealth Scheme for the Transfer of Convicted Offenders. In addition, the United Kingdom has concluded a small number of bilateral prisoner transfer agreements. The following lists those countries and territories with which the United Kingdom has a prisoner transfer arrangement.
	No payments have been made to foreign countries for the transfer of prisoners to serve the remainder of their sentence.
	 Countries and T erritories with which the United Kingdom has a Prisoner Transfer A greement
	Albania
	America
	Andorra
	Anguilla
	Antigua and Barbuda
	Armenia
	Aruba
	Australia
	Austria
	Azerbaijan
	Bahamas
	Barbados
	Belgium
	Bermuda
	Bolivia
	Bosnia Herzegovina
	Bouvet Island
	Brazil
	British Indian Ocean Territories
	British Virgin Islands
	Bulgaria
	Canada
	Cayman Islands
	Chile
	Cook Islands
	Costa Rica
	Croatia
	Cuba
	Cyprus
	Czech Republic
	Denmark
	Dutch Antilies
	Ecuador
	Egypt
	Estonia
	Falkland Islands
	Faeroe Islands
	Finland
	France
	Georgia
	Gibraltar
	Germany
	Greece
	Grenada
	Henderson, Ducie and Oeno
	Hong Kong
	Hungary
	Iceland
	India
	Ireland
	Israel
	Italy
	Japan
	Korea
	Latvia
	Liechtenstein
	Lithuania
	Luxembourg
	Macedonia
	Malawi
	Malta
	Mauritius
	Mexico
	Moldova
	Montserrat
	Montenegro
	Morocco
	Netherlands
	Nicaragua
	Norway
	Panama
	Peru
	Peter I Island
	Pitcairn
	Poland
	Portugal
	Queen Maud Land
	Romania
	Samoa
	San Marino
	Serbia
	Slovakia
	Slovenia
	Spain
	Sri Lanka
	St. Helena and Dependencies
	Sovereign Base Areas Cyprus
	Suriname
	Sweden
	Switzerland
	Thailand
	Tonga
	Trinidad and Tobago
	Turkey
	Uganda
	Ukraine
	Venezuela.

Prisoners: Deportation

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with which foreign states the UK has arrangements for the return of prisoners to their home country to complete their prison sentences; how many nationals of such countries are currently in UK prisons; and how many prisoners the Government expects to be returned as a result of the arrangements in place.

David Hanson: The countries and territories with which the United Kingdom has a prisoner transfer arrangement and the number of prisoners held in England and Wales from each of those countries are given in the following table.
	In the Police and Justice Act 2006 the Government amended the Repatriation of Prisoners Act 1984 to enable prisoners to be transferred without their consent where the relevant international agreement does not require it. Subject to the views of the other Governments concerned, the United Kingdom will, in the future, seek to negotiate prisoner transfer agreements which do not enable prisoner to prevent transfer by withholding their consent. However, each of the agreements listed below requires the consent of both states involved, as well as that of the prisoner concerned. As a consequence it is not possible to say how many prisoners will be transferred under these agreements in the future.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so although shown to the last individual, the figure may not be accurate to that level.
	The figures in the following table relate to England and Wales only.
	
		
			  Countries with which the United Kingdom has a prisoner transfer agreement and the number of prisoners from each of those countries held in prisons in England and Wales as at 30 September 2007 
			   Number 
			 Albania 122 
			 Andorra — 
			 Anguilla 1 
			 Antigua and Barbuda/Dutch Antilles(1) 10 
			 Armenia 5 
			 Aruba — 
			 Australia 19 
			 Austria 11 
			 Azerbaijan 3 
			 Bahamas 5 
			 Barbados 27 
			 Belgium 32 
			 Bermuda 4 
			 Bolivia 4 
			 Bosnia Herzegovina 5 
			 Bouvet Island — 
			 Brazil 51 
			 British Indian Ocean Territories 1 
			 British Virgin Islands — 
			 Bulgaria 15 
			 Canada 19 
			 Cayman Islands — 
			 Chile 8 
			 Cook Islands(1) n/k 
			 Costa Rica 3 
			 Croatia 91 
			 Cuba — 
			 Cyprus 38 
			 Czech Republic 38 
			 Denmark 4 
			 Ecuador 8 
			 Egypt 8 
			 Estonia 16 
			 Falkland Islands — 
			 Faroe Islands — 
			 Finland 3 
			 France 104 
			 Georgia 12 
			 Gibraltar 2 
			 Germany 105 
			 Greece 14 
			 Grenada 14 
			 Henderson, Ducie and Oeno(1) — 
			 Hong Kong 5 
			 Hungary 16 
			 Iceland 1 
			 India 204 
			 Ireland 554 
			 Israel 14 
			 Italy 76 
			 Japan 1 
			 Korea 5 
			 Latvia 37 
			 Liechtenstein — 
			 Lithuania 131 
			 Luxembourg — 
			 Macedonia — 
			 Malawi 9 
			 Malta 5 
			 Mauritius 13 
			 Mexico 18 
			 Moldova 21 
			 Montserrat 10 
			 Morocco 28 
			 Netherlands 92 
			 Nicaragua — 
			 Norway 5 
			 Panama 3 
			 Peru 3 
			 Peter I Island(1) — 
			 Pitcairn — 
			 Poland 203 
			 Portugal 148 
			 Queen Maud Land(1) — 
			 Romania 76 
			 Samoa — 
			 San Marino 1 
			 Serbia/Montenegro(2) 56 
			 Slovakia 12 
			 Slovenia 5 
			 Spain 57 
			 Sri Lanka 86 
			 St. Helena and Dependencies — 
			 Sovereign Base Areas Cyprus — 
			 Suriname 10 
			 Sweden 7 
			 Switzerland 6 
			 Thailand 5 
			 Tonga — 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 78 
			 Turkey 150 
			 Uganda 56 
			 Ukraine(1) n/k 
			 United States of America 89 
			 Venezuela 19 
			   
			 Other 8 
			 (1) We cannot separately identify all nationalities with which we have a prisoner transfer agreement. These are as follows: Ukraine is included with Russia (We do not have a prisoner transfer agreement with Russia) Cook Islands are included with New Zealand (We do not have a prisoner transfer agreement with New Zealand. Antigua and Barbuda are included with the Dutch Antilles. We have prisoner transfer agreements with both Antigua and Barbuda and the Dutch Antilles. Queen Maud Land and Peter I Island are included in Other. Henderson, Ducie and Oeno are included with Portugal. We have a prisoner transfer agreement with both the Islands and with Portugal. (2) Serbia and Montenegro are recorded together but since the separation on Montenegro from Serbia, Montenegro is a signatory to the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons in its own right.

Prisons: Television

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many television sets have been bought by the prison service in each year since 1997; and what the cost of such purchases was in each year.

Maria Eagle: There are two categories of television set purchasing in the Prison Service. Firstly, there are the sets purchased by the Prison Service for use in communal areas within prisons and, where appropriate, office locations across the service. Details of the sets purchased in these circumstances are not recorded centrally, and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	Secondly, since 1998 there has been a programme of purchasing television sets for prisoners' use i their cells. The number of sets purchased in these circumstances are as follows:
	
		
			   Number of sets purchased 
			 1998-99 10,388 
			 1999-2000 4,938 
			 2000-01 13,580 
			 2001-02 8,488 
			 2002-03 12,616 
			 2003-04 5,975 
			 2004-05 13,791 
			 2005-06 9,171 
			 2006-07 12,450 
		
	
	The costs information of these purchases is classed as commercially sensitive. However with the exception of 1998-99 when £500,000 of public funds were used to start up the In-Cell TV initiative, all of these sets have been funded from the weekly rental charges collected from prisoners.

Prisons: Television

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners receive Sky or other digital television services in their cells; and what the cost to the Prison Service was of prisoners receiving such services in their cells in financial year 2006-07.

Maria Eagle: No prisoners in public sector prisons now receive Sky or other television channels in their cells for which a subscription is payable. Where it was previously provided, the cost cannot be separated from the subscriptions for Sky TV in communal areas. In advance of the national conversion to digital reception, some prisoners on the enhanced privilege level have been allowed receivers for free-to-air digital in cell, often at their own expense. No new Freeview boxes have been permitted since October 2006. Details of those previously provided at Prison Service expense, and the cost, is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	To date, in-cell television installations in 22 prison establishments have been converted to receive digital broadcasts as part of the national conversion from analogue. The cost (£545,781 (excluding VAT) in 2006-07) is being covered from the rental paid by individual prisoners.
	In three contracted prisons—Altcourse, Lowdham Grange and Parc—1,230 prisoners have limited access to Sky TV in cell as an earned privilege. The number of eligible prisoners varies daily. The cost is met by the contractors.

Trade Unions

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what meetings he has had with trade unions representatives in the last 12 months.

Jack Straw: Since I became the Secretary of State for Justice in late June 2007, I have met with trade union representatives on six occasions regarding departmental business.
	These have been with representatives from the Prison Officers Association, the Prison Governors Association, the Prison Service Joint Industrial Council, the Transport and General Workers' Union, Amicus, GMB, Unison and the Trade Union Congress.
	If you wish to know about my time as Leader of the Commons please let me know.

Violent and Sex Offender Register

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps have been taken to make access to the Violent and Sex Offender Register compliant with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice and The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) fully supports the important principle that its employees have equality of access to technology and the tools which underpin their daily work. We are working closely with The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), which owns the ViSOR system, our suppliers and assisted technology users within NOMS to identify the changes required to ViSOR to make it compatible with assistive technologies. Initial results suggest it is already compliant in many areas but further tests are being scheduled.

Violent and Sex Offender Register

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the training database for the Violent and Sex Offender Register is available in all probation board areas in England and Wales.

Maria Eagle: Access to the ViSOR training database, hosted at National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) Hendon, is in the process of being made available to all Probation Board areas. This work is being progressed as part of the current deployment of ViSOR to the National Probation Service.

Young Offenders: Fines

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether it is the policy of the Court Service to pursue parents for fines levied against juvenile offenders where a parent of the offender was the victim of the offence.

Maria Eagle: The decision to impose a fine on a juvenile or the parents is a matter for the court, in exercise of its judicial discretion. Under section 137 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000, where a child aged 10 to 15 is dealt with by way of a financial penalty, the court has a duty to order that the fine, compensation or costs awarded be paid by the parent or guardian, unless they cannot be found or it would be unreasonable to do so. In the case of a young person aged 16 or more the court has discretion to make such an order as opposed to a duty.
	Her Majesty's Courts Service has a duty to collect the fine from whomever the court has made the order against.

Youth Offending Teams: Finance

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average budget was for a youth offending team in each of the last seven years.

David Hanson: The information requested is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   YOT average budget 
			 2002-03 1.3 
			 2003-04 1.41 
			 2004-05 1.49 
			 2005-06 1.57 
			 2006-07 1.63 
			  Source:  Youth Justice Board. Data is not available prior to 2002-03.

Youth Offending Teams: Finance

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much total funding was provided by statutory agencies for youth offending teams in each of the last seven years; and how much of that was provided by each agency.

David Hanson: The information requested is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   YJB  Police  Probation  Social Services  Education  Health  LA  Total 
			 2002-03 46.7 19.2 16.2 83.7 13.8 9.5 13.1 202.0 
			 2003-04 47.5 20.9 17.2 89.5 14.3 10.1 18.3 217.8 
			 2004-05 48.7 22.1 17.6 94.7 13.4 11.1 23.8 231.4 
			 2005-06 50.4 23.4 17.5 101.9 12.6 11.7 28.0 245.5 
			 2006-07 51.3 23.1 18.0 101.2 20.9 12.4 27.5 254.4 
			 Total 244.4 108.7 86.5 470.7 75.0 54.8 110.7 — 
			  Source:  Youth Justice Board. data is not available prior to 2002-03.

Burundi: Asylum

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance has been given to aid the return of Burundi refugees from Tanzania and Uganda to their homes.

Gareth Thomas: There are approximately 300,000 Burundi refugees in Northern Tanzania, many of whom have been there for more than 30 years. Following the joint decision by the Governments of Burundi and Tanzania to speed up refugee returns, some 100,000 of these will return home by the middle of 2008. Most of the remaining 200,000 are expected to apply for Tanzanian nationality. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that there are 1,323 Burundians in Uganda. We are not aware of their imminent return, but all would be entitled to UNHCR's returnee assistance package (excluding cash grants) on voluntary return, and to inclusion in its reintegration and protection activities in Burundi.
	DFID Burundi has provided £1.1 million to UNHCR to fund continued cash grants (agreed as a means of encouraging return) to refugees repatriating from Tanzania. A further £350,000 has been contributed to the World Food Programme's Protracted Refugee and Relief Operation for Burundi, primarily to support additional food needs within the refugee return programme.

Overseas Aid

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the relative effectiveness of administering aid through multilateral institutions and bilaterally.

Gareth Thomas: UK aid resources are allocated to ensure the maximum total impact on poverty reduction and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). We use a combination of channels, instruments and interventions which complement and build on each others strengths. Allocations are informed by robust evidence of the effectiveness of different channels and institutions.
	DFID has compiled Multilateral Development Effectiveness Summaries for 15 key multilateral partners. These distil information from various published data sources about how well individual organisations manage their resources, contribute to results on the ground, are building for the future and are working together. While they do not measure the merits of the organisation's development objectives, the MDBS are a useful tool for assessing organisational effectiveness. The findings of the MDES show a range of performance across the multilateral system. Where gaps and weaknesses have been identified, we are using these findings to inform our ongoing policy dialogue on effectiveness of the agencies concerned.
	Bilateral projects and country programmes are assessed for their contribution towards international development goals, against countries' own objectives, DFID corporate targets and international commitments on aid effectiveness. This is complemented by in-depth project, country programme, thematic and international evaluations.

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the  (a) nature and  (b) financial value was of development assistance given to the Pakistani government in each of the last three financial years; what planned expenditure is on such assistance in the (i) current and (ii) next financial year; which elements of such assistance are under review following the suspension of the Pakistani constitution; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 12 November 2007
	DFID's development assistance to the Government of Pakistan in the last three years has included a mix of financial aid, technical cooperation and humanitarian assistance. This has supported programmes to deliver basic services, improve governance and accelerate income growth.
	Expenditure for each of the last three financial years was as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2004-05 31,377,000 
			 2005-06 94,413,000 
			 2006-07 101,118,000 
		
	
	Our Pakistan development programme is framed by a 10-year Development Partnership Agreement (DPA) signed in 2006. by Prime Ministers Blair and Aziz. The DPA envisages doubling the UK aid programme over three years to 2010-11, predicated on Pakistani commitments, including the observation of human rights. In light of recent events, our future programme is under review. Our first priority remains the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable people in Pakistan.

Housing Benefit

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people are in receipt of housing benefit in  (a) Ribble Valley,  (b) Lancashire and  (c) the UK.

James Plaskitt: I have been asked to reply.
	The most recent available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Households in Ribble Valley borough council, Lancashire, and Great Britain as at February 2007 
			  Number 
			 Ribble Valley 1,480 
			 Lancashire 66,090 
			 Great Britain 4,039,750 
			  Notes: 1. The data refers to households, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Housing benefit figures exclude any Extended Payment cases.  Source:  Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count, taken in February 2007.

Prostitution: Foreign Workers

Jo Swinson: To ask the Minister for Women what estimate she has made of the proportion of non-British sex workers who have been  (a) trafficked and  (b) subject to coercion.  [Official Report, 18 December 2007, Vol. 469, c. 2MC.]

Barbara Follett: 10 years ago 85 per cent. of women in brothels were UK citizens now 85 per cent. are from outside the UK. Estimates suggest that at any one time in 2003 there were approximately 4,000 victims of trafficking for prostitution in the UK.
	No research has been undertaken which would provide either evidence or provide a basis for estimates on the proportion of non-British sex workers who have been  (a) trafficked and  (b) subject to coercion.

Manpower

Charles Walker: To ask the Leader of the House what the full-time equivalent headcount in her Office is; what the forecast full-time equivalent headcount for her office is for  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: 19 full-time employees. This includes three members of staff who support me in my responsibilities as Minister for Women and Equalities; and two special advisers. We have not made any work force forward projections, but are not anticipating any changes to staffing numbers.

Members: Allowances

Francis Maude: To ask the Leader of the House 
	(1)  what the level of the communications allowance for hon. Members is in 2007-08; and what it will be in 2008-09;
	(2)  whether the communications allowance may be spent on payments to political parties for the provision of communications services on  (a) commercial and  (b) non-commercial terms;
	(3)  what her definition is of campaigning with regard to the prohibition of the use of communications allowance for campaigning;
	(4)  what the maximum financial amount in cash terms is in 2007-08 that can be transferred to communications allowance from  (a) incidental expenses provision and  (b) staffing allowance;
	(5)  what guidance has been published on using party political descriptions in literature financed under the communications allowance.

Helen Goodman: The communications allowance was introduced on 1 April 2007. It was set by the House at a level of £10,000 p.a. It will increase in April each year by the annual rise in the retail price index as at 31 December of the preceding year.
	The purpose of the allowance is to meet the cost of proactive communications by Members to their constituents. The rules and guidance in the Green Book, as approved by the Members Estimate Committee are set out and published in July 2007.
	Members must avoid any arrangement which may give rise to an accusation that public money is being diverted for the benefit of a political organisation. Campaigning, which is prohibited by the rules, is understood to be the use of parliamentary funds to seek to gain a party or sectional electoral advantage.
	The allowance rules in the Green Book permits Members the flexibility to transfer money between allowances so that they can use the available funds to meet the needs of their constituents more efficiently. Members may transfer up to 10 per cent. from their staffing allowance and 100 per cent. from their incidental expenses provision to the communications allowance.
	The Members Estimate Committee undertook to consider and where necessary review the rules and guidance in the light of experience.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Michael Penning: To ask the Leader of the House who the special advisers in her Office are; what expertise each has; and what the cost of employing them was in the latest year for which figures are available.

Mark Hoban: To ask the Leader of the House what the office costs for her Department's special advisers for 2007-08 are expected to be, including costs of support staff; and how many full-time equivalent civil servants work in support of such special advisers.

Helen Goodman: The annual list of special advisers will be published shortly. I will write to the hon. Members once the information is publicly available.
	There are two full-time civil servants who work in support of the special advisers in both my roles as Leader of the House and Minister for Women and Equality.

Winter Fuel Allowance

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of the winter fuel allowance; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Since its introduction the value of the winter fuel payment has increased substantially. When it was introduced—for the winter of 1997-98—every household with someone over state pension age who was receiving certain qualifying benefits got a payment of £20 to help with their winter fuel costs. Now, households including someone age 60 to 79 are entitled to a payment of £200. With households including someone aged 80 or over entitled to £300. This represents a significant contribution to the costs of winter fuel for older people, and should re-assure them that they can afford to keep warm through the winter months.

Digital Switchover Help Scheme

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many and what percentage of people over 65 he estimates will qualify for assistance in switching over to digital television in  (a) Eastbourne,  (b) East Sussex and  (c) England.

James Purnell: The information is not available in the form requested.
	A household will qualify for assistance from the Digital Switchover Help Scheme if one person is aged 75 or over, is entitled to disability living allowance or attendance allowance (or equivalent benefits under the industrial injuries or war pensions scheme) or is registered blind or partially sighted.
	Information on the number of households where the qualifying person is aged between 60 and 75 in Eastbourne, East Sussex and England is in the table.
	
		
			  Area  Number of households 
			 Eastbourne 1,100 
			 East Sussex 7,500 
			 England 830,000 
			  Notes:  1. Eligibility for help from the Digital Switchover Help Scheme will be by benefit unit rather than the whole household definition used by the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Office to forecast future household growth. The scheme definition of eligible households mirrors Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) definition of a benefit unit: a couple (which from December 2005 includes gay couples) and any dependent children. It excludes adults deemed to be non-dependents who, if eligible, will be able to claim assistance from the help scheme in their own right.  2. The estimates use data from the Department for Work and Pensions Client Group Analysis for November 2005 adjusted by changes in future household and benefits growth for the period from 2005 until the date switchover takes place in the relevant area.  3. The figures do not include households where the person qualifying for help under the scheme is registered blind or registered partially sighted who qualify on grounds of registration rather than on grounds of age or entitlement to disability benefits.  4. The figures for Eastbourne are for the Eastbourne parliamentary constituency.

Charter of Fundamental Rights (EU): Deportation

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made in the Council of Europe on revision by international instrument of Article 3 of the European Charter of Human Rights as it applies in deportation cases.

Jim Murphy: As my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary set out when she wrote to the chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights on 3 August, the Government are not seeking to amend the text of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. No such representations have therefore been made.

China Task Force

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who chairs the China Task Force; on what dates it met in 2007; and what was discussed at each meeting.

Kim Howells: The China Task Force is now chaired by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, having previously been chaired by my right hon. Friend the former Deputy Prime Minister (Mr. Prescott). The last two meetings were on 22 February 2007 and 13 September 2007. On 22 February the Task Force discussed the role of the China Britain Business Council, Shanghai Expo 2010, possible UK-China co-operation in building sustainable cities and reviewed progress in UK-China relations as a whole. On 13 September the Task Force discussed preparations for the next UK-China summit and how the Task Force could best focus its future efforts in support of UK-China bilateral engagement.

Entry Clearances

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people, including their dependants, from outside the EEA were given permission to  (a) enter and  (b) stay on in the UK in a visa category which could lead to them being granted the right to settle in each of the last five years; and how many of these permissions were in work-related categories.

Kim Howells: Although the information is not available in the format requested, the relevant statistics on immigration control are published in the 'Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom, 2006' Command Paper. Copies are available in the Library of the House and on the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	The following sections provide information on the reason for entry/stay in the UK for non-European Economic Area nationals and their dependents.
	Section 2 Passengers give leave to enter;
	Section 4 Decisions on applications for leave to remain; and
	Section 5 Grants of settlement.

Iran: Money Laundering

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has  (a) provided information to and  (b) received representations from British banks on the statement by the Financial Action Task Force that Iran's lack of a comprehensive anti-money laundering and financing of terrorism regime represents a significant vulnerability within the international financial system.

Kitty Ussher: I have been asked to reply.
	&Following the Financial Action Task Force statement, HM Treasury issued an advisory notice to financial service firms on 12 October on the higher risk of money laundering and terrorist financing in transactions associated with Iran. The notice can be found on HM Treasury's public website at the following link:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/newsroom_and_speeches/press/2007/press_108_07.cfm
	HM Treasury has received no representations from British banks on the statement but has discussed the matter informally during general private sector meetings on money laundering and terrorist financing.

Iraq: Resettlement

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what written guidance has been provided to British staff employed in the British embassies in  (a) Iraq,  (b) Egypt,  (c) Iran,  (d) Syria and  (e) Lebanon on the implementation of the Government's policy of assistance to locally-employed Iraqi staff; and if he will place copies in the Library.

David Miliband: We have drawn all regional posts attention to my written ministerial statements of 9 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 27-28WS and 30 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 30-33WS and included guidance on implementing the scheme. Posts will refer all inquirers to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website, the dedicated phone lines that have been established, or the Iraq Locally Engaged Staff Scheme team in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
	I will arrange for a copy of the guidance to be placed in the Library of the House.

Rwanda: Armed Conflict

Eric Joyce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the UK has made to the government of Rwanda in relation to the conflict between Congolese armed forces and troops of the dissident general Laurent Nkunda.

Meg Munn: We have consistently urged the Rwandan government to make clear their disassociation from Laurent Nkunda and to tone down any rhetoric in support of him, in the interest of stabilising the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary and my noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, the right hon. Lord Malloch-Brown, when meeting President Kagame in October 2007, noted that Rwanda must continue to play a constructive role in creating lasting peace and security in the Great Lakes region. This message has been reinforced at official level many times over the last few months.

Uganda: Human Rights

Eric Joyce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Ugandan government about ensuring that the disarmament process across the Karamoja region is carried out in a way which guarantees protection of civilians, especially children.

Meg Munn: We continue to raise our concerns with the Ugandan government about the forced disarmament programme in Karamoja, including the impact of children. We continue to press for a peaceful and voluntary disarmament process across the Karamoja region that involves all stakeholders, respects human rights and protects the civilian population. Our high commission in Kampala, with other members of the Partners for Democracy and Governance group, raised this most recently with the Ugandan government on 24 October 2007.

Delivery Partnerships

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department has spent on the  (a) delivery partnership and  (b) post-qualification admission process since 2005.

Bill Rammell: A sector-led Delivery Partnership was established in 2006 to implement reforms to the higher education applications process, resulting from the Government's consultation in 2005 Improving the Higher Education Applications Process'. The Department has contributed a total of £125,000 towards the costs of the Delivery Partnership to date, with further funding being provided by Universities UK.

Departmental Press

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills to which periodicals his Department subscribes.

David Lammy: The information requested is as follows.
	 New Statesman
	 Voice Weekly
	 New Nation
	 Dod's Parliamentary Companion
	 Vashers
	 Private Eye
	 The Economist
	 Vachers
	 Economic and Labour Market Review
	 Whitehall and Westminster World
	 Guardian Public Magazine
	 People Management and Public Finance
	 Talisman (Ofsted)
	 Times Higher Education Supp lement
	 Times Education Supplement
	 New Scientist
	 Nature
	 New Statesman
	 Research Affairs
	 Research Africa
	 Research Europe
	 Research Fortnight
	 Science
	 Scientific American
	 The Economist
	 The Engineer
	 The Week
	 Daily Mail
	 Daily Telegraph
	 Financial Times
	 Guardian
	 Independent
	 The Times

Older Workers

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what plans the Government have to encourage businesses to  (a) retain and  (b) develop and enhance the skills of older workers.

David Lammy: The Department and the Learning and Skills Council are working closely with the Department of Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus to implement the proposals outlined in World Class Skills: Implementing the Leitch Review of Skills in England and the Green Paper: In Work, better off, both published in July this year.
	Our reforms include supporting individuals, including older workers into sustainable employment and progression in work and in skills. We will give greater ownership and choice to individuals over their training through skills accounts backed up by a new universal adult careers service promoting personal advancement.
	Similarly we are working with employers through Train to Gain and the Skills Pledge to meet skill needs and to ensure that all employees including older people have the basic skills, including literacy and numeracy and Level 2 skills (equivalent to five good GCSEs) needed to sustain and progress in employment. We are increasing funding for Train to Gain from £440 million in 2007/08 to over £900 million in 2010/11. We want to encourage all employers in England to make a Skills Pledge that is a specific promise that every eligible employee will be helped to gain basic skills, and a full Level 2 qualification.

Students: Public Participation

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills by what means the minutes of the National Student Forum will be made available to the public after each of its meetings.

Bill Rammell: Once established, the National Student Forum itself will be invited to draw up its own ways of working. There is no expectation at this stage that the Forum will make public the minutes of its discussions. The Forum will, however, be expected to publish an annual report setting out the issues it has looked at and any recommendations it wishes to offer, to which ministers will respond publicly.

Departmental Manpower

Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the part-time permanent staff headcount was in  (a) the core Treasury,  (b) the Office of Government Commerce (OGC),  (c) OGC Buying Solutions and  (d) the Department Management Office in each year since 1998; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The information for the full-time equivalent permanent staff headcount data for core Treasury, Office of Government and Commerce (OGC), OGC Buying Solutions and the Debt Management Office in each year since 1998, can be located from the following website:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/statistics/archive/index.asp

Departmental Manpower

Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the full-time equivalent permanent staff headcount was in  (a) the core Treasury,  (b) the Office of Government Commerce (OGC),  (c) OGC Buying Solutions and  (d) the Department Management Office in each year since 1998; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The information for the full-time equivalent permanent staff headcount data for core Treasury, Office of Government and Commerce (OGC), OGC Buying Solutions and the Debt Management Office since 1998, can be located from the following website:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/statistics/archive/index.asp

Research and Development Tax Credit

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many UK companies have claimed tax credits for research and development since the introduction of the scheme.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 15 November 2007
	National Statistics published on the HMRC website show that around 23,000 claims have been made for R&D tax credits in the first five years of the scheme. These claims have been made by a total of just under 12,000 companies, reflecting the fact that companies can make numerous claims.

Welfare Tax Credits: Islington

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Islington North constituency were in receipt of tax credits in the most recent period for which figures are available; and what the  (a) equivalent figure and  (b) average amount paid was in each of the last three years.

Jane Kennedy: The latest information on the number of recipient families with tax credits, by each parliamentary constituency, is available in the HMRC snapshot publication "Child and Working tax Credits Statistics. April 2007". Equivalent snapshot figures for April 2005 and 2006 are also published.
	For the average amount paid, information on average annual entitlements by each parliamentary constituency, based on final family circumstances and incomes in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06, is produced in the HMRC publications "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards. Geographical Analyses", for each relevant year. All of these publications are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm

Ambulance Services: Global Navigation Satellite Systems

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the  (a) suitability and  (b) effectiveness of navigation systems used by ambulance services, with particular reference to Terrafix.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has made no assessments on the suitability or effectiveness of navigation systems used by the ambulance service. Ambulance trusts decide locally which navigational systems they wish to procure; therefore, assessment of suitability and effectiveness will be a matter for each national health service ambulance trusts to manage locally.

Cancer: Drugs

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts in England provide funding for sunitinib for patients with renal cancer who have failed to respond to all other treatments.

Ann Keen: The Department does not hold information on which primary care trusts (PCTs) in England provide funding for Sunitinib (sutent) for patients with renal cancer who have failed to respond to all other treatments.
	Sunitinib is licensed in the United Kingdom for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumours.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently appraising Sunitinib for renal cell carcinoma.
	In the meantime, it is for local PCTs to decide whether to make Sunitinib available to patients. In doing so, they need to take into account the available evidence. It is not acceptable for national health service organisations to refuse to fund a treatment simply because it has not been appraised by NICE.

Hearing Aids: Waiting Lists

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for hearing aid assessments in each primary care trust in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The information on audiology assessments is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Diagnostic waiting statistics concerning audiology assessments for all primary care trusts (PCTs) in England, patients still waiting at the end of the month, time period—month ending September 2007 
			  Area  Average median time of patients still waiting (in weeks) 
			 Newcastle PCT 24.1 
			 North Tyneside PCT 13.2 
			 Hartlepool PCT 3.1 
			 North Tees PCT 6.3 
			 Darlington PCT 47.1 
			 Gateshead PCT 3.9 
			 South Tyneside PCT n/a 
			 Sunderland Teaching PCT n/a 
			 Middlesbrough PCT 6.2 
			 County Durham 28.3 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 5.9 
			 Northumberland Care Trust 24.3 
			 Blackburn With Darwen PCT 1.6 
			 Salford PCT 2.9 
			 Stockport PCT n/a 
			 Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT 5.2 
			 Blackpool PCT 16.6 
			 Bolton PCT 0.9 
			 Warrington PCT 12.1 
			 Knowsley PCT 14.8 
			 Oldham PCT n/a 
			 Bury PCT 1.0 
			 Tameside and Glossop PCT 3.2 
			 Cumbria 8.6 
			 North Lancashire 8.9 
			 Central Lancashire 40.6 
			 East Lancashire 1.4 
			 Sefton 1.5 
			 Wirral 2.5 
			 Liverpool 16.9 
			 Halton and St Helens 13.1 
			 West Cheshire over 52 weeks 
			 Central and Eastern Cheshire 4.1 
			 Rochdale, Heywood and Middleton 1.4 
			 Trafford 3.2 
			 Manchester 0.6 
			 North Lincolnshire PCT 49.8 
			 Rotherham PCT 1.6 
			 Calderdale PCT n/a 
			 Barnsley PCT 2.9 
			 Leeds 20.9 
			 Kirklees n/a 
			 Wakefield n/a 
			 Sheffield 2.3 
			 Doncaster 3.5 
			 North Yorkshire and York 3.9 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire over 52 weeks 
			 Hull Teaching over 52 weeks 
			 Bradford and Airedale Teaching 10.1 
			 North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus 34.1 
			 Nottingham City PCT 4.4 
			 Bassetlaw PCT n/a 
			 Derbyshire County 3.3 
			 Derby City n/a 
			 Nottinghamshire County Teaching 3.4 
			 Lincolnshire Teaching 48.4 
			 Leicestershire County and Rutland 6.4 
			 Leicester City Teaching 6.7 
			 Northamptonshire Teaching 7.4 
			 Herefordshire PCT over 52 weeks 
			 South Birmingham PCT 4.2 
			 Shropshire County PCT 4.6 
			 Walsall PCT n/a 
			 Coventry PCT 3.3 
			 Telford and Wrekin PCT 4.6 
			 Wolverhampton City PCT 4.7 
			 Heart of Birmingham PCT 4.1 
			 Dudley over 52 weeks 
			 Sandwell 2.0 
			 Birmingham East and North 3.0 
			 North Staffordshire 40.1 
			 Stoke on Trent Teaching 44.7 
			 South Staffordshire 30.7 
			 Worcestershire 4.0 
			 Warwickshire 2.6 
			 Solihull PCT 2.3 
			 Luton PCT n/a 
			 South East Essex 3.9 
			 Bedfordshire 3.9 
			 East and North Hertfordshire n/a 
			 West Hertfordshire 23.4 
			 Peterborough 2.7 
			 Cambridgeshire 4.1 
			 Norfolk 5.3 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney Teaching 3.6 
			 Suffolk 3.2 
			 West Essex 4.7 
			 North East Essex 5.1 
			 Mid Essex 0.7 
			 South West Essex Teaching n/a 
			 Havering PCT 31.4 
			 Kingston PCT 23.7 
			 Bromley PCT 8.2 
			 Greenwich PCT 23.0 
			 Barnet PCT n/a 
			 Hillingdon PCT n/a 
			 Enfield PCT n/a 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 23.3 
			 City and Hackney PCT n/a 
			 Tower Hamlets PCT n/a 
			 Newham PCT 4.9 
			 Haringey PCT n/a 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 8.2 
			 Ealing PCT 34.2 
			 Hounslow PCT 13.8 
			 Brent PCT 8.8 
			 Harrow PCT 12.4 
			 Camden PCT n/a 
			 Islington PCT n/a 
			 Croydon PCT 15.9 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT n/a 
			 Westminster PCT 3.3 
			 Lambeth PCT 8.9 
			 Southwark PCT 8.8 
			 Lewisham PCT 6.6 
			 Wandsworth PCT 3.9 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 12.9 
			 Sutton and Merton PCT 3.6 
			 Redbridge PCT 11.2 
			 Waltham Forest PCT 11.3 
			 Bexley Care Trust 6.3 
			 Medway PCT 15.4 
			 Brighton and Hove City PCT 25.1 
			 Surrey 10.1 
			 West Sussex Teaching 27.4 
			 East Sussex Downs and Weald 24.8 
			 Hastings and Rother 3.9 
			 West Kent 18.2 
			 Eastern and Coastal Kent Teaching 50.4 
			 Milton Keynes PCT 2.2 
			 Portsmouth City PCT 15.3 
			 Southampton City PCT 2.0 
			 Hampshire 10.7 
			 Buckinghamshire 4.2 
			 Oxfordshire 3.7 
			 Berkshire West 3.1 
			 Berkshire East Teaching 6.4 
			 Isle of Wight Healthcare 15.0 
			 South Gloucestershire PCT 22.5 
			 Plymouth PCT 2.8 
			 Bath and North East Somerset PCT 13.9 
			 Swindon PCT 1.8 
			 North Somerset PCT 28.1 
			 Gloucestershire 44.8 
			 Bristol Teaching 6.7 
			 Wiltshire 26.4 
			 Somerset 3.7 
			 Dorset 5.1 
			 Bournemouth and Poole Teaching 4.9 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 2.9 
			 Devon 3.8 
			 Torbay Care Trust n/a 
			   
			 England 11.1 
			 n/a = For organisations with less than 100 audiological assessment waiters, no median has been calculated as the small data set may lead to statistical inaccuracies.   Note:  1. Some organisations have a median of 'over 52 weeks'. As this is the latest timeband data is collected for, a more accurate measure could not be calculated.   Source:  Diagnostic Monthly Monitoring (DM01)

Hospitals: Greater London

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were admitted to hospitals in the Greater London area in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: Information on the number of finished admission episodes for the London strategic health authority area for each of the last 10 years can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  Count of finished admission episodes where the strategic health authority of treatment  was the five London SHA's: Data for national health service hospitals, England, 1996-97 to 2005-06 
			  Data year  Finished admission episodes 
			 2005-06 1,919,695 
			 2004-05 1,804,291 
			 2003-04 1,735,112 
			 2002-03 1,638,353 
			 2001-02 1,536,445 
			 2000-01 1,507,249 
			 1999-2000 1,526,984 
			 1998-99 1,155,240 
			 1997-98 1,092,064 
			 1996-97 1,065,336 
			  Notes:  1. Primary care trust (PCT) and strategic health authority (SHA) data quality.  PCT and SHA data was added to historic data-years in the HES database using 2002-03 boundaries, as a one-off exercise in 2004. The quality of the data on PCT of treatment and SHA of treatment is poor in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99, with over a third of all finished episodes having missing values in these years. Data quality of PCT of GP practice and SHA of GP practice in 1997-98 and 1998-99 is also poor, with a high proportion missing values where practices changed or ceased to exist. There is less change in completeness of the residence-based fields over time, where the majority of unknown values are due to missing postcodes on birth episodes. Users of time series analysis including these years need to be aware of these issues in their interpretation of the data. The SHA's used to define 'Greater London' were:  Q04 North West London Strategic HA  Q05 North Central London Strategic HA  Q06 North East London Strategic HA  Q07 South East London Strategic HA  Q08 South West London Strategic HA  2. Ungrossed Data  Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  3. Assessing growth through time  HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. During the years that these records have been collected the NHS there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example a number of procedures may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and may no longer be accounted in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time.  4. Finished admission episodes  A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.  Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for Health & Social Care

NHS: Dental Services

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the population in each primary care trust area has access to NHS dentistry; and how many dentists in each area accept NHS patients.

Ann Keen: Numbers of patients seen by a national health service dentist in the previous 24 months as a percentage of the population are available in Table C2 of Annex 3 of the NHS "Dental Statistics for England: 2006-07" report. Information is available for the 24 month periods ending 31 March 2006 and 31 March 2007.
	Numbers of dentists on open NHS contracts are available in Table El of Annex 3 of the report. Information is shown as at 30 June, 30 September, 31 December 2006 and 31 March 2007. In both tables information is available for primary care trust and strategic health authority level.
	The report is available in the Library and is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607.
	Published numbers are headcounts and do not differentiate between full and part-time dentists, nor do they account for the fact that some dentists may do more NHS work than others.
	Although we do not hold information on the number of dentists accepting new patients, a review of dentistry in London, published on 1 November by the Greater London Assembly found that, out of 1,223 NHS dentists identified in the study, only 150 were not taking on any new patients.

Orthopaedics: Waiting Lists

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for  (a) a knee operation and  (b) a hysterectomy for (i) patients of Wirral hospital trust, (ii) patients in Merseyside and (iii) nationally in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: holding answer 15 November 2007
	The information requested is supplied in the following table.
	
		
			   Wirral hospital NHS trust  Cheshire and Merseyside strategic health authority of residence  England 
			  Operation description  Median time waited (in days)  Median time waited (in days)  Median time waited (in days) 
			 Knee operation 162 164 168 
			 Hysterectomy 59 57 66 
			  Note:  Data provided is for mean and median "time waited" (in days) rather than "waiting times" where the main operation was a knee operation or hysterectomy (see footnotes for definitions).  Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) can only provide counts for "time waited" for all finished admissions within a given period. It is important to note that HES "time waited" figures are different to published waiting list statistics which count those waiting for treatment on a specific date and how long they have been on the waiting list. This elapsed time does not include any wait for referral to a hospital consultant. The data provided is only for elective admissions into hospital for the selected operation from a waiting list or booked elective admissions. The attached results excludes planned elective admissions and unlike published waiting list statistics are not adjusted for self-deferrals (e.g. if a patient deferred an operation as they were on holiday) or periods of medical/social suspension (please see footnotes for definitions of elective admissions from a waiting list, elective booked admissions and planned elective admissions). Note that finished admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. Operational Classification of Interventions and Procedures Version 4.2. (OPSC 4.2)  Knee Operation: W40: Total Prosthetic replacement of knee joint using cement W41: Total prosthetic replacement of knee joint not using cement W42: Other total prosthetic replacement of knee joint  Hysterectomy: Q07.1 Abdominal hysterocolpectomy and excision of periuterine tissue Q07.2 Abdominal hysterectomy and excision of periuterine tissue Q07.3 Abdominal hysterocolpectomy nec Q07.4 Total abdominal hysterectomy nec Q07.5 Subtotal abdominal hysterectomy Q07.8 Other specified abdominal excision of uterus Q07.9 Unspecified abdominal excision of uterus Q08.1 Vaginal hysterocolpectomy and excision of periuterine tissue Q08.2 Vaginal hysterectomy and excision of periuterine tissue NEC Q08.3 Vaginal hysterocolpectomy nec Q08.8 Other specified vaginal excision of uterus Q08.9 Unspecified vaginal excision of uterus R25.1 Caesarean hysterectomy  Data Quality HES are compiled from data sent by over 300 national health service trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. The Department liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  Elective admissions An admission is elective if the patient has been waiting for treatment. There are three types of elective admissions. The above time waited data excludes planned elective admissions:  Elective admissions from a waiting list Most elective admissions are from a waiting list, where the patient has been waiting for a hospital resource e.g. in this case a knee operation or hysterectomy.  Elective booked admissions An increasing number of elective admissions are booked, where the patient was given a date at the time the decision to admit was made, determined mainly on the grounds of resource availability.  Planned elective admissions A smaller group waits for clinical reasons, where the consultant has advised that the patient should return at an appropriate point when the body has had time for nature to take its course. For example, a patient whose broken leg was mended by means of a steel pin would return to hospital a few weeks later to have a pin removed. Or a cancer sufferer is invited for radiotherapy treatment in a sequence of measured doses, with necessary gaps between sessions for recovery and stabilisation.  Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.  Main Operation The main operation is the first recorded operation in the HES data set and is usually the most resource intensive procedure performed during the episode. It is appropriate to use main operation when looking at admission details, eg. time waited, but the figures for "all operations count of episodes" give a more complete count of episodes with an operation.  Time Waited Time waited statistics from HES are not the same as the published waiting list statistics. HES provides counts and time waited for all patients admitted to hospital within a given period whereas the published waiting list statistics count those waiting for treatment on a specific date and how long they have been on the waiting list. Also, HES calculates the time waited as the difference between the admission and decision to admit dates. Unlike published waiting list statistics, this is not adjusted for self-deferrals or periods of medical/social suspension.  Ungrossed Data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).

Screening: Private Sector

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of diagnostic scans in the NHS were carried out by private healthcare companies in the last year for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not hold the requested data in this format.
	The Department does collect data on the volume of some diagnostic scans carried out in the national health service. Data for the number of echocardiography, computer tomography (CT), DEXA scan, barium enema, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and non-obstetric ultrasound (NOU) carried out in the national health service between September 2006 and August 2007 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Diagnostic test  Total diagnostic activity (this includes planned activity) 
			 MRI 1,196,392 
			 CT 2,305,584 
			 NOU 3,920,621 
			 Barium enema 166,986 
			 DEXA Scan 224,467 
			 Cardiology - echocardiography 774,033 
			  Source:  Department of Health Monthly Diagnostics 
		
	
	Through the Independent Sector Treatment Centres (ISTC) programme, which is centrally led by the Department's Commercial Directorate, over 372,000 diagnostic episodes have been delivered to NHS patients at the end of September 2007. The above figure includes diagnostic episodes delivered to NHS patients through operational Wave 1 and Phase 2 schemes and the MRI fast-track contract.
	It is not possible to identify the volume of diagnostic scans carried out by private healthcare companies purchased locally by the NHS.

West Hertfordshire Acute Hospital Trust: Waiting Lists

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were cancelled at West Hertfordshire Acute Hospital Trust within  (a) seven days and  (b) 24 hours of the appointment time in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: Information is not available in the format requested. However, the following table shows the number of last minute cancelled operations for non clinical reasons at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust from 2001-02 to 2006-07 (which is the latest data available).
	
		
			   Number of last minute cancelled operations for non clinical reasons 
			 2001-02 562 
			 2002-03 244 
			 2003-04 815 
			 2004-05 666 
			 2005-06 621 
			 2006-07 929 
			  Notes: 1. Data were collected at health authority level only prior to 2001-02. Trust level data were collected from 2001-02 onwards. 2. A last minute cancellation is one that occurs on the day the patient was due to arrive, after they have arrived in hospital or on the day of their operation. 3. Some common non-clinical reasons for cancellations by the hospital include: ward beds unavailable; surgeon unavailable; emergency case needing theatre; theatre list over-ran; equipment failure; admin error; anaesthetist unavailable; theatre staff unavailable; and critical care bed unavailable.  Source: Department of Health dataset QMCO

West Herts NHS Hospital Trust: Consultants

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished consultant episodes there were at West Herts NHS Hospital Trust  (a) in each specialty and  (b) in total in each year since 1996-97.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested can be found in the following tables.
	
		
			  Count of finished consultant episodes (FCE) for West Herts NHS Hospital Trust (RWG) by main speciality for years 2005-06 to 2000-01: NHS hospitals England 
			FCE 
			  Main speciality code  Main speciality  2005-06  2004-05  2003-04  2002-03  2001-02  2000-01 
			 & Unknown — * — 16 97 1,243 
			 100 General Surgery 9,697 9,900 9,668 9,195 8,838 9,023 
			 101 Urology 4,502 4,532 4,658 4,481 4,264 4,180 
			 110 Trauma & Orthopaedics 7,390 7,246 7,260 7,445 7,432 6,765 
			 120 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) 1,236 1,090 1,064 918 1,246 1,229 
			 130 Ophthalmology 2,074 1,841 1,977 1,173 1,274 1,692 
			 140 Oral Surgery 613 706 800 627 521 962 
			 141 Restorative dentistry (oral surgery) — — — * — — 
			 143 Orthodontics — — — — — * 
			 160 Plastic Surgery 8,018 7,712 7,912 7,178 6,679 6,624 
			 170 Cardiothoracic Surgery — — — — — 38 
			 180 Accident & Emergency (A&E) 4,800 3,334 541 394 299 237 
			 190 Anaesthetics 506 442 554 448 464 467 
			 191 Pain Management — — * — — — 
			 300 General Medicine 9,313 8,914 8,633 9,469 9,916 8,547 
			 301 Gastroenterology 5,872 5,767 5,631 5,205 5,498 5,052 
			 302 Endocrinology 129 200 282 389 676 1,007 
			 303 Clinical Haematology 1,928 2,583 2,884 2,761 2,071 892 
			 314 Rehabilitation — — — * — 134 
			 315 Palliative Medicine — 331 351 355 400 343 
			 320 Cardiology 3,691 3,308 2,073 1,416 1,490 1,706 
			 330 Dermatology 252 551 564 675 850 911 
			 340 Thoracic Medicine 1,714 1,225 1,362 1,305 1,324 1,461 
			 360 Genitourinary Medicine — * — — — — 
			 361 Nephrology 20 46 16 * — * 
			 370 Medical Oncology 292 748 707 505 491 538 
			 400 Neurology 17 17 15 20 23 35 
			 410 Rheumatology 816 502 393 172 183 89 
			 420 Paediatrics 5,430 4,998 5,293 4,973 0 2,405 
			 430 Geriatric Medicine 7,313 7,501 6,819 5,930 4,751 4,995 
			 501 Obstetrics 8,619 8,794 8,385 7,648 8,057 6,325 
			 502 Gynaecology 4,379 4,487 4,616 4,699 5,085 5,495 
			 700 Learning Disability (previously MH) — * * * — — 
			 713 Psychotherapy — — * — — — 
			 800 Clinical Oncology (previously Radiotherapy) 820 4,768 4,688 4,606 5,138 5,202 
			 823 Haematology — — — — 181 1,149 
			 830 Immunopathology 138 112 96 107 73 15 
			  Total 89,579 91,662 87,245 82,118 77,321 78,761 
		
	
	
		
			  Count of finished consultant episodes for St. Albans and Hemel Hempstead NHS Trust (RPW) and Mount Vernon and Watford NHS Trust (RQL) by main speciality for years 1999-2000 to 1996-97. NHS Hospitals England 
			FCE 
			1999-2000  1998-99  1997-98  1996-97 
			  Report title Main Speciality code  Main speciality  RPW  RQL  RPW  RQL  RPW  RQL  RPW  RQL 
			 & Not known * 296 — 268 — 344 7 184 
			 100 General surgery 4,341 4,607 3,674 5,172 4,215 5,167 4,557 5,829 
			 101 Urology 2,119 2,073 1,516 2,526 1,506 2,810 1,460 2,965 
			 110 Trauma and orthopaedics 3,360 3,133 2,886 3,268 2,968 3,219 3,077 4,136 
			 120 ENT 1,249 — 1,082 — 1,171 — 1,136 — 
			 130 Ophthalmology * 1,176 16 861 116 760 118 1,240 
			 140 Oral surgery 38 2,387 32 2,715 53 2,904 149 3,160 
			 143 Orthodontics — — * — — — — — 
			 160 Plastic surgery 143 5,985 151 5,595 208 6,649 237 5,764 
			 180 Accident and emergency 318 — 341 — 376 — 268 — 
			 190 Anaesthetics 122 209 116 368 102 343 173 300 
			 300 General medicine — 9,703 * 10,612 31 9,922 727 9,729 
			 301 Gastroenterology 4,050 146 3,721 918 3,743 1,144 2,777 929 
			 302 Endocrinology 1,466 — 1,349 — 1,157 — 833 — 
			 303 Haematology (clinical) — 456 — 690 — 1,044 — 691 
			 315 Palliative medicine — 395 — 353 — 449 — 387 
			 320 Cardiology 1,473 — 1,416 — 1,406 — 1,153 — 
			 330 Dermatology 846 42 713 33 882 76 856 73 
			 340 Thoracic medicine 1,403 — 1,067 9 1,222 * 1,138 — 
			 361 Nephrology * — — — * — — — 
			 370 Medical oncology — 43 — — — — — — 
			 400 Neurology 34 10 23 22 * * 8 10 
			 410 Rheumatology 45 — 33 170 28 404 50 357 
			 420 Paediatrics 5,106 3,217 4,976 6,668 5,537 7,272 5,726 6,367 
			 430 Geriatric medicine 4,409 1,749 4,461 1,910 4,268 2,351 3,637 2,152 
			 501 Obstet for pats using a hosp bed 5,503 3,640 5,156 3,566 5,352 4,384 5,192 3,822 
			 502 Gynaecology 2,260 2,752 1,946 2,460 2,374 2,669 2,943 2,992 
			 800 Radiotherapy 985 4,475 956 5,021 882 4,761 362 3,903 
			 823 Haematology 1,223 — 770 — 1,159 — 1,077 — 
			  Total 40,496 46,449 36,401 53,205 38,756 56,678 37,661 54,990 
			  Combined total 86,990 89,606 95,434 92,651 
			  Notes: 1. Data Quality Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time some shortcomings remain.  2. Assessing growth through time  HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. During the years that these records have been collected the NHS there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example a number of procedures may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and may no longer be accounted in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time.  3. FCE  An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.  4. Specialty  Care is needed when analysing HES data by specialty, or by groups of specialties (such as Acute). Trusts have different ways of managing specialties and attributing codes so it is better to analyse by specific diagnoses, operations or other recorded information. Trusts may change the way they manage speciality codes through time. Speciality code 420—For the period 2001/02 no data was received from the trust for this speciality. This has been investigated with the trust but no conclusive cause has been found.  5. Ungrossed Data  Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  6. Low Numbers  Due to reasons of confidentiality, figures between 1 and 5 have been suppressed and replaced with an "*" (an asterisk). Where it was possible to identify numbers from the total due to a single suppressed number in a row or column, an additional smallest number have been suppressed in order to protect.  Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care

Academies: Greater Manchester

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many academies sponsored by the local authority  (a) exist and  (b) are planned in Manchester; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Manchester city council are acting as co-sponsor for seven academy projects. The first of these are projected to open in September 2009.

Academies: Pupil Exclusions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many permanent exclusions were made by each academy in the 2006-07 school year; how many such exclusions were made in the last full year of each academy's predecessor school; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Permanent exclusions data for 2006/07 are not yet available. It is expected to be published in June 2008.
	Permanent exclusions reported by an academy in its first year refer only to those exclusions from the academy. Exclusions from the predecessor school are not included, even if these exclusions occurred during the reporting period in which the academy was established. Such exclusions would be attributed to the predecessor school.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether an objective of the building schools for the future programme is to amalgamate existing schools into new larger schools; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: It is not an objective of Building Schools for the Future to consolidate existing schools into new larger schools. Matters of school organisation including the size of schools are decided locally. There are clear statutory procedures for proposals to open, close or alter schools, which include local consultation. Building Schools for the Future provides an excellent opportunity for authorities to consider how best to deliver education in their area, including how to raise standards and to provide greater choice and diversity of provision.

Classroom Assistants: Qualifications

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of teaching assistants working in schools have a  (a) level one,  (b) level two and  (c) level three qualification as their highest qualification.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not available in the form requested but the Deployment and Impact of Support Staff in Schools Survey, a DCSF survey which took place in 2006, did collect some information on the qualifications of support staff. This information is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Levels of qualification for support staff( 1)  in service in England, 2006 
			   Support staff category 
			   Teaching assistant equivalent( 2)  Pupil welfare  Technician  Other pupil support  Facilities  Administration  Site 
			  Qualifications  no.  %  no.  %  no.  %  no.  %  no.  %  no.  %  no.  % 
			 None 11 2 10 4 3 1 57 17 73 36 10 2 70 36 
			 GCSE D-G 57 12 24 9 26 9 37 11 16 8 28 6 11 6 
			 GCSE A*-C 132 27 90 34 72 26 65 20 20 10 101 21 21 11 
			 CSE 230 46 85 32 68 25 125 38 71 35 17 36 70 36 
			 O Level 316 64 149 57 177 64 145 44 63 31 360 76 48 25 
			 A/AS Level 125 25 96 37 112 41 56 17 16 8 140 29 14 7 
			 Cert Ed 48 10 24 9 25 9 24 7 10 5 18 4 10 5 
			 Foundation degree 19 4 9 3 4 1 5 2 1 1 11 23 1 1 
			 Degree 51 10 73 28 85 31 26 8 3 2 62 13 7 4 
			 Higher degree 13 3 32 12 18 7 9 3 3 2 17 4 2 1 
			 (1) Respondent to the survey were asked to select all qualifications held and therefore may have selected more than one category of qualification. (2) Teaching assistant equivalent support staff includes Higher Level TAs, LAs (SEN pupils), Nursery Nurses, Therapists and TAs in primary, secondary or special schools.  Source: DCSF sample survey

Education: Climate Change

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will provide grants for the recruitment of external experts to teach climate change science and sustainability in primary and secondary schools.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 15 November 2007
	 We want all schools to become Sustainable Schools by 2020. The Sustainable Schools Framework and self evaluation tool have been designed, following wide consultation, to help senior managers, teachers and pupils adopt a whole school approach so that schools' commitment to sustainability is demonstrated by the way the buildings and grounds are managed, its relationships with the local community and through the curriculum. To become sustainable, schools need to develop their own expertise, drawing on external support where they identify it is needed.
	Expert organisations, such as the Met Office, the Association of Science Education and the Royal Geographical Society already provide support and resources for teachers. Science Learning Centres provide training for both primary and secondary teachers in sustainability and the science of climate change. There are many other sources of support including businesses, local authorities and non-governmental organisations. We have no plans to provide grants for external experts to teach climate change and sustainability in schools.

Free School Meals

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether people aged between 16 to 18 years in full-time education studying in  (a) school sixth forms,  (b) sixth form colleges,  (c) further education colleges and  (d) academies, whose parents fulfil the qualifying criteria in other respects, are entitled to free lunches; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Where parents fulfil the qualifying criteria, local authorities or school governing bodies have a duty to provide free school meals to children who are registered pupils at schools. This includes those in school sixth forms, and academies, but not those attending sixth form or further education colleges. We have no plans to change the criteria for free school meals.

Primary Education: Music

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many primary school pupils were given the opportunity to learn a musical instrument in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: This information is not routinely collected by the Department. However, in 1999, 2002, 2005 and 2007 the Department commissioned surveys of Local Authority Music Services, which collected data on the prevalence of music tuition. A report of the 2007 survey is due to be published on 21 November 2007. Previous survey reports are available at:
	www.dcsf.gov.uk/research
	Data from these surveys on the prevalence of specialist instrumental and vocal tuition are summarised in the following table:
	
		
			  percentage 
			  Academic year  KS1 pupils reported as receiving specialist instrumental or vocal tuition  KS2 pupils reported as receiving specialist instrumental or vocal tuition 
			 2001/02 (1)— 12 
			 2004/05 2 13 
			 2006/07 (2)— (2)— 
			 1 Data not available for KS1. 2 Data to be published on 21 November 2007.  Note: Data from the 1999 survey was not comparable to following surveys and cannot be reported in this table. Most Music Services reported providing tuition for between 4 per cent. and 10 per cent. of their school population in 1999, but this was not broken down by Key Stage. 
		
	
	Specific national funding to support the widening of opportunities for primary children to access instrumental and vocal provision began in 2003. Data from the surveys on participation in this programme are reported in the following table:
	
		
			  percentage 
			  Academic year  KS1 pupils reported as being involved in wider opportunities activities  KS2 pupils reported as being involved in wider opportunities activities 
			 2003/04 (1)— 8 
			 2004/05 (1)— 10 
			 2005/06 5 22 
			 2006/07 (2)— (2)— 
			 (1) Data not available. (2) Data to be published on 21 November 2007. 
		
	
	The above figures do not take account of music tuition provided by those operating outside of local authority arrangements.

Pupils: Absenteeism

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what the rate of  (a) unauthorised and  (b) authorised absence was in Year 9 in each month since 2003;
	(2)  what the rate of  (a) unauthorised and  (b) authorised absence in secondary schools was in each month since 2003;
	(3)  when and with what frequency pupil absence data are collected for each school year group.

Jim Knight: The first year for which information is available on absence rates by national curriculum year group is 2005/06 and relates to secondary schools only. Data are not available broken down by month of absence.
	The available information is shown in the tables.
	Data on pupil absence are collected via the School Census; secondary schools returned pupil absence data via this route for the first time in 2005/06 with primary schools making their first School Census return in January 2007. The School Census is collected three times per year with absence data being collected one term in arrears: the schedule of collections is:
	January School Census—collects absence data for the autumn term;
	May School Census—collects absence data for the spring term; and
	October School Census—collects absence data for the first half of the summer term.
	Special schools return absence data annually as part of the October School Census. Data are collected for all pupils of compulsory school age who are not boarding
	
		
			  Maintained Secondary Schools, City Technology Colleges and Academies( 1) : Pupil Absence in National Curriculum Year 9( 2) , 2005/06, England 
			  Total 
			Percentage of half days missed( 3) 
			   Number of day pupils of compulsory school age( 4)  Authorised absence  Unauthorised absence  Overall absence 
			  National Curriculum Year Group 9 598,760 6.76 1.30 8.06 
			  
			  Total( 5) 2,983,040 6.82 1.42 8.24 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) See Notes to Editors 10 of SFR11/2007 for further information on how absence figures by national curriculum year group have been derived.  (3) The number of sessions missed due to authorised/unauthorised/overall absence expressed as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions.  (4) Pupil numbers are as at January 2006. Includes pupils aged 5 to 15 with sole and dual (main) registration. Excludes boarders.  (5) Includes pupil enrolments for whom information on national curriculum year group was missing.   Note:  Totals may not appear to equal the sum of the component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. 
		
	
	
		
			  Maintained Secondary Schools( 1) , Pupil Absence, 2003/04 to 2004/05, England 
			Percentage of half days missed by all pupils 
			   Number of day pupils of compulsory school age( 2)  Authorised absence  Unauthorised absence  Overall absence 
			 2003/04 3,050,589 6.92 1.14 8.06 
			 2004/05 3,037,013 6.58 1.23 7.81 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed, excludes city technology colleges and academies.  (2) Pupil numbers include pupils aged 5 to 15 with sole and dual (main) registration. Excludes boarders.   Source:  Survey of School Absence. 
		
	
	
		
			  Maintained Secondary Schools( 1) , Pupil Absence, 2005/06, England 
			 Percentage of half days missed by all pupils 
			   Number of day pupils of compulsory school age( 2)  Number of pupil enrolments( 3,4)  Authorised absence  Unauthorised absence  Overall absence 
			 2005/06 2,951,570 3,024,730 6.82 1.42 8.24 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed, excludes city technology colleges and academies.  (2) Pupil numbers include pupils aged 5 to 15 with sole and dual (main) registration. Excludes boarders.  (3) Number of pupil enrolments in schools between 1 September 2005 and 27 May 2006. Includes pupils on the roll for at least one sessions who are aged between 5 and 15, excluding boarders. Some pupils may be counted more than once if they moved schools during the school year or are registered on more than one school.  (4) There were some 7,240 cases from maintained secondary schools for whom absence data was missing. These cases have been excluded from the total number of pupil enrolments. 
		
	
	
		
			  Maintained Secondary Schools( 1) , Pupil Absence, Autumn Term 2006 and Spring Term 2007, England 
			Percentage of half days missed by all pupils 
			   Number of pupil enrolments( 2,3)  Authorised absence  Unauthorised absence  Overall absence 
			 Autumn 2006 2,940,960 5.92 1.35 7.26 
			 Spring 2007 2,926,420 6.77 1.61 8.38 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed, excludes city technology colleges and academies.  (2) Number of pupil enrolments in schools between 1 September 2005 and 27 May 2006. Includes pupils on the roll for at least one session who are aged between 5 and 15, excluding boarders. Some pupils may be counted more than once if they moved schools during the school year or are registered on more than one school.  (3) There were some 7,240 cases from maintained secondary schools for whom absence data was missing. These cases have been excluded from the total number of pupil enrolments.   Source:  School Census.

Pupils: Absenteeism

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what guidance his Department has issued to headteachers on the collection of absence data for the period May to July;
	(2)  what plans he has to review the accuracy of pupil absence data collected for the period May to July.

Jim Knight: Data on pupil absence is collected via the school census. The school census is carried out three times per year with absence data being collected one term in arrears: the schedule of collections is:
	January School Census—collects absence data for the autumn term
	May School Census—collects absence data for the spring term.
	October School Census—collects absence data for the first half of the summer term.
	School census guidance notes covering all the information collected via the census are prepared and made available for schools and local authorities via the Teachernet website in advance of each census.
	The pupil registration regulations 2006 require that a school records attendance and absence data for the full academic year. However, the Department does not collect absence data for the second half of the summer term i.e. for the period from late May to July.

School Leaving

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the evidential basis is for compulsory training or education for 17 and 18 year-olds being economically beneficial for  (a) individuals and  (b) the public purse; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Individuals who stay on in education or training after 16 are more likely to gain further qualifications by 18 than those who do not, and they are likely to earn more in the future. Those with level 2 qualifications in particular (the equivalent of five GCSEs A*-C) earn an average of around £100,000 more over their lifetime than those who leave learning with qualifications below level 2. Individuals with higher levels of qualifications have better chances of finding, keeping and progressing in employment. There are also wider benefits related to further participation, including better health and a lower tendency towards crime. More information and references on this can be found in the Green Paper, Raising Expectations: staying in education and training post-16, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House.
	Analysis has shown that raising the participation age will lead to substantial economic benefits to the country. The Initial Regulatory Impact Assessment that was published with the Green Paper has also been placed in the House Library. These projections are being revised and independently reviewed before being published in December, in the Impact Assessment that will accompany the Bill.

Schools: Attendance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  which 20 secondary schools had the biggest gap between pupil attendance and the funded school roll in the latest year for which figures are available; what the gap was in each case; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will list the 50 maintained schools with the worst attendance figures in England in 2007; what the comparable figures for their performance were in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Jim Knight: Regulations specify that the budget set by the local authority for a school is based on the number of pupils on the school roll as reported in the January School Census.
	Attendance figures are not published. School level information on absence rates, number of pupils on roll and performance indicators for 2004/05 and 2005/06 is available in the House Library. Data for 2006/07 are not yet published. This will be available in January and placed in the Library. However, due to underlying changes in the data collection, absence rates for 2006/07 will not be directly comparable with earlier years.

Schools: Rural Areas

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in England serve rural communities; how many of these are voluntary aided primary schools; how many rural schools have used staff procedures with two panels constituted from the same governing body; and how many of these have resulted in the dismissal of a member of staff.

Jim Knight: The Department uses the Countryside Agency's Rural and Urban Area Classification to identify rural schools. There are currently 1,074 rural voluntary aided primary schools and 32 rural voluntary aided secondary schools in England.
	We do not collate national statistics on the circumstances and frequency of school work force dismissals. In the case of staff dismissal, the responsibility for this decision falls to the schools' governing body, although the initial decision to dismiss can be delegated to the school's head teacher.
	Where a school wishes to dismiss a member of staff, they must give that person the opportunity to make representation to the governing body (or head teacher) before the decision to dismiss can be taken. Where an initial dismissal decision is made, the member of staff must also be given an opportunity to appeal against that decision. The appeal hearing should be undertaken by at least three governors who have not been involved in any previous action or decision connected with the dismissal.

Science

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to work with outside agencies to improve young people's understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: We are already working with a wide range of partners and stakeholders, to improve young people's understanding of these subjects. For example we have set up:
	the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) High Level Strategy Group to implement proposals and report on progress on the Government's STEM Programme. This group includes representatives from the Royal Society, Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the CBI; and
	the STEM Advisory Forum, a mainly virtual forum that allows anyone, including employers, teachers, professional bodies, with an interest in STEM to contribute their views.
	We also work directly with a range of external organisations to both help develop policy and provide support directly to schools. These include the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, the Training and Development Agency for Schools, Lifelong Learning UK, the National Strategies, the network of Science Learning Centres, the National Centre for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics, the Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics Network (STEMNET), and the Learning and Skills Network.
	The Government very much value the contribution these outside organisations make to this agenda and will continue to work with them.

Secondary Education: Admissions

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of students in each London borough were unable to secure a secondary school place within their borough of residence in each of the previous five years.

Jim Knight: We do not currently hold this data. However, we are consulting on draft regulations that propose to require local authorities to submit data on secondary preferences in future, including the number of children being offered a school place within their authority area. The consultation document is available on the DCSF website at:
	www.dcsf.gov.uk/consultations/conDetails.cfm?consultationld=1506

Sure Start Programme

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many Phase  (a) 1,  (b) 2 and  (c) 3 Sure Start centres (i) there are and (ii) are planned in each (A) local education authority and (B) Parliamentary constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Government are on track to meet its commitment to deliver a Sure Start Children's Centre for every community in England by 2010, offering integrated services that will improve outcomes for young children, and reduce inequalities between the most disadvantaged and the rest. The following table shows, for each local authority, the number of centres (1) operational as at 9 November 2007 (2) planned for delivery by 2008 and (3) calculated by DCSF as required to reach the remaining children under five in phase 3. The Department does not record a breakdown of centres by constituency.
	
		
			  Local Authority  (1) Number operational centres (includes phase 1 and phase 2)( 1)  (2) Number phase 2 centres planned for designation by 2008  (3) DCSF calculation on centres required in phase 3 
			 Barking and Dagenham 11 3 3 
			 Barnet 3 10 9 
			 Barnsley 14 5 2 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 5 3 3 
			 Bedfordshire 14 12 10 
			 Bexley 8 0 5 
			 Birmingham 49 18 13 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 12 1 2 
			 Blackpool 10 2 2 
			 Bolton 6 9 4 
			 Bournemouth 2 3 2 
			 Bracknell Forest 1 5 3 
			 Bradford 21 12 11 
			 Brent 5 7 8 
			 Brighton and Hove 9 5 5 
			 Bristol, City of 11 12 7 
			 Bromley 4 12 7 
			 Buckinghamshire 14 10 11 
			 Bury 3 8 3 
			 Calderdale 8 10 3 
			 Cambridgeshire 6 22 13 
			 Camden 12 4 2 
			 Cheshire 14 17 13 
			 Cornwall 21 14 7 
			 Coventry 14 5 4 
			 Croydon 8 10 6 
			 Cumbria 16 7 8 
			 Darlington 4 2 2 
			 Derby, City of 8 6 4 
			 Derbyshire 23 20 12 
			 Devon 15 16 14 
			 Doncaster 14 8 3 
			 Dorset 10 7 7 
			 Dudley 8 9 5 
			 Durham 34 9 6 
			 Ealing 18 5 8 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 6 8 6 
			 East Sussex 20 8 7 
			 Enfield 10 3 8 
			 Essex 23 37 30 
			 Gateshead 10 5 1 
			 Gloucestershire 15 16 11 
			 Greenwich 15 8 4 
			 Hackney 13 2 1 
			 Halton 9 2 2 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 5 7 3 
			 Hampshire 14 46 29 
			 Haringey 11 7 4 
			 Harrow 5 3 7 
			 Hartlepool 5 2 1 
			 Havering 2 6 4 
			 Herefordshire 6 3 3 
			 Hertfordshire 21 28 30 
			 Hillingdon 4 9 7 
			 Hounslow 13 1 6 
			 Isle of Wight 8 0 1 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 1 0 
			 Islington 11 5 0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 5 3 0 
			 Kent 18 50 30 
			 Kingston upon Hull, City of 12 5 2 
			 Kingston upon Thames 4 3 4 
			 Kirklees 18 14 7 
			 Knowsley 13 3 1 
			 Lambeth 13 13 3 
			 Lancashire 55 5 18 
			 Leeds 29 21 9 
			 Leicester, City of 11 7 5 
			 Leicestershire 4 22 15 
			 Lewisham 6 8 4 
			 Lincolnshire 13 24 12 
			 Liverpool 21 3 1 
			 London, City of 1 0 0 
			 Luton 13 6 5 
			 Manchester 27 6 5 
			 Medway 7 7 6 
			 Merton 2 7 5 
			 Middlesbrough 8 4 2 
			 Milton Keynes 8 4 7 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 10 6 2 
			 Newham 10 10 1 
			 Norfolk 21 15 15 
			 North East Lincolnshire 6 6 1 
			 North Lincolnshire 9 2 3 
			 North Somerset 3 6 5 
			 North Tyneside 10 1 3 
			 North Yorkshire 9 18 12 
			 Northamptonshire 16 12 16 
			 Northumberland 17 6 5 
			 Nottingham, City of 11 5 2 
			 Nottinghamshire 24 24 12 
			 Oldham 6 8 3 
			 Oxfordshire 20 9 17 
			 Peterborough, City of 7 4 4 
			 Plymouth, City of 8 8 4 
			 Poole 2 4 3 
			 Portsmouth 7 6 3 
			 Reading 4 6 4 
			 Redbridge 5 6 8 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 8 2 2 
			 Richmond upon Thames 6 3 5 
			 Rochdale 10 4 2 
			 Rotherham 12 7 3 
			 Rutland — — 1 
			 Salford 9 6 2 
			 Sandwell 12 6 3 
			 Sefton 11 5 3 
			 Sheffield 18 12 6 
			 Shropshire 14  6 
			 Slough 5 1 4 
			 Solihull 8 3 3 
			 Somerset 23 10 10 
			 South Gloucestershire 9 2 6 
			 South Tyneside 9 3 0 
			 Southampton 12 0 4 
			 Southend on Sea 5 5 3 
			 Southwark 12 8 2 
			 St Helens 8 4 1 
			 Staffordshire 14 25 15 
			 Stockport 3 12 5 
			 Stockton on Tees 5 5 3 
			 Stoke on Trent 8 5 4 
			 Suffolk 17 18 13 
			 Sunderland 15 2 2 
			 Surrey 25 13 29 
			 Sutton 3 7 4 
			 Swindon 7 3 5 
			 Tameside 12 3 2 
			 Telford and Wrekin 9 3 3 
			 Thurrock 5 4 4 
			 Torbay 4 3 1 
			 Tower Hamlets 14 4 3 
			 Trafford 7 3 5 
			 Wakefield 17 4 4 
			 Walsall 11 4 3 
			 Waltham Forest 12 2 5 
			 Wandsworth 6 9 8 
			 Warrington 4 7 3 
			 Warwickshire 17 14 12 
			 West Berkshire 3 3 4 
			 West Sussex 16 20 17 
			 Westminster, City of 7 5 3 
			 Wigan 7 11 4 
			 Wiltshire 7 14 10 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 1 5 4 
			 Wirral 10 10 4 
			 Wokingham 1 6 4 
			 Wolverhampton 10 6 3 
			 Worcestershire 12 13 11 
			 York, City of 2 6 4 
			 (1) A significant number of centres that started development in phase 1 (2004-06) were not designated until the phase 2 period (2006-08). The Department did not make a rigid. distinction for centres in this category—phase 1 and 2 designation figures are therefore presented as a combined total. 
		
	
	.

Teachers: Qualifications

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  whether he proposes to raise the minimum level of qualifications required for teachers in maintained schools; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what data his Department holds on the qualifications achieved by those applying for initial teacher training programmes; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many entrants to initial teacher training programmes had  (a) English,  (b) mathematics and  (c) science GCSE grades of (i) A/A*, (ii) B and (iii) C in each year from 2000-01 to 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The minimum qualifications for those entering teacher training were reviewed in 2006 and were reflected in revisions to the Secretary of State's Requirements for Initial Teacher Training which have operated since September 2007 and can be found at http://www.tda.gov.uk/partners/ittstandards.aspx?keywords=requirements+for+itt. We have no current plans to review these again.
	The amount of data held centrally on the qualifications achieved by those applying for initial teacher training programmes is limited because the Requirements for Initial Teacher Training place the onus on ITT providers to ensure that they only accept candidates who reach the required minimum standards. Information that is held centrally at qualification levels of people beginning undergraduate and postgraduate initial teacher training are given at Annexes A and B. No data is held centrally on the GCSE subjects and grades of entrants for the same reason, but all must have reached the required minimum of grade C or equivalent to be accepted.

Teachers: Training

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the  (a) target and  (b) outturn numbers of recruits to initial teacher training in each secondary school subject were in each year since 2001/02; what the target is for 2007/08; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: (a) The following table shows the targets set for recruitment to mainstream Initial Teacher Training (ITT) in each secondary subject for each academic year between 2001/02 and 2007/08:
	
		
			  Initial teacher training places( 1) : Academic years 2000/01 to 2007/08—England 
			   2001/02  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08 
			 Secondary(1) 17,390 17,790 19,475 19,500 18,500 17,500 16,500 
			  of which:
			 Mathematics 1,940 1,940 2,315 2,350 2,350 2,350 2,350 
			 English (including Drama) 2,160 2,350 2,350 2,350 2,200 2,040 1,920 
			 Science 2,810 2,850 3,225 3,225 3,225 3,225 3,225 
			 Modem foreign languages 2,050 2,050 2,050 2,050 1,900 1,790 1,670 
			 Technology 2,150 2,500 2,850 2,895 2,890 2,730 2,515 
			  of which( 2) :
			 Design and Technology — — — 1,085 1,060 1,010 930 
			 Information and communications technology — — — 1,050 1,100 1,040 985 
			 Business Studies — — — 760 730 680 600 
			 History 900 950 950 910 810 700 600 
			 Geography 1,175 1,100 985 935 925 850 770 
			 Physical Education 1,200 1,200 1,500 1,500 1,450 1,310 1,180 
			 Art 850 850 900 880 800 700 600 
			 Music 705 700 700 725 690 640 600 
			 Religious Education 650 700 700 730 730 695 665 
			 Citizenship — 200 250 250 240 230 220 
			 Economics, Social Sciences, Classics, Other subjects 450 300 300 300 290 240 185 
			 Vocational subjects(3) — — — 400 — — — 
			 Margin of flexibility/Secondary reserve(4) 350 100 400 — — — — 
			 (1) Includes SCITT but excludes employment-based routes. (2) Number of places for individual technology subjects is not available before 2004/05. (3) Places for vocational subjects in 2006/07 are included with the allocation for related academic subject: Science includes places for applied science, design and technology includes both manufacturing and engineering, ICT includes applied ICT, business studies includes applied business, geography includes leisure and tourism, art includes applied art and other subjects includes health and social care. In 2004/05 places for vocational subjects were shown separately. In 2003/04 the margin of flexibility included places for a vocational subjects pilot. (4) The margin of flexibility/secondary reserve constituted places that the TDA could allocate to any secondary subject, to support providers whose baselines would otherwise be below economic levels; to ensure the appropriate denominational balance; and to help providers with a high proportion of places in shortage subjects and who therefore had particular uncertainty of income.  Source:  DfES 
		
	
	 (b) Recruitment figures to mainstream ITT courses in each secondary school subject each academic year between 2001/02 and 2006/07 are shown in the table as follows:
	
		
			  Recruitment to initial teacher training courses( 1,2) : Academic years 2000/01 to 2006/07—England 
			   2001/02  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07 
			  Secondary by subject   
			 Mathematics 1,550 1,670 1,940 2,030 1,920 2,000 
			 English (inc. Drama) 2,220 2,480 2,420 2,380 2,110 2,210 
			 Science (4) 2,590 2,700 2,870 2,830 2,890 2,990 
			 General sciences — — — — — 1,180 
			 Biology — — — — — 930 
			 Chemistry — — — — — 530 
			 Physics — — — — — 350 
			 Modern foreign languages 1,710 1,730 1,820 1,620 1,500 1,500 
			 Technology (5) 2,160 2,400 2,670 2,610 2,510 2,580 
			 History 920 990 1,000 910 850 730 
			 Geography 1,030 950 990 900 820 760 
			 Physical education 1,330 1,330 1,590 1,530 1,530 1,410 
			 Art 840 890 930 860 780 630 
			 Music 650 600 620 600 620 660 
			 Religious education 590 580 590 630 660 790 
			 Citizenship(6) 150 190 220 240 220 230 
			 Other (7) 230 170 230 250 360 230 
			 Vocational subjects (8) — — 160 280 340 330 
			 Total 15,980 16,670 18,050 17,670 17,110 17,040 
			 Fast Track (3) 80 90 240 310 330 — 
			 Grand total 16,060 16,760 18,290 17,980 17,440 17,040 
			 (1) Recruitment figures for 2006/07 are provisional and are subject to change. (2) Includes Universities and other HE institutions, SCITT and OU, but excludes employment based routes. Recruitment numbers shown are rounded to the nearest 10. (3) 2001/02 was the first year of Fast Track recruitment. The programme ended in 2005/06. (4) Prior to 2006/07, the breakdown for science subjects was not available. (5) Technology includes design and technology, information and communications technology, business studies, graphics, textiles and food technology. (6) 2001/02 was the first year of recruitment for citizenship. (7) Other includes classics, dance, economics, media, performing arts and social studies. (8) Vocational subjects includes applied art and design, leisure and tourism, applied ICT, applied science, applied business, engineering, manufacturing, and health and social care.  Sources:  TDA's ITT Trainee Numbers Census 2000/01 - 2006/07 
		
	
	Places for vocational subjects, except for 2004/05 are included within the allocation for the related academic subject. Recruitment figures show vocational subjects separately from 2003/04 on. Updated tables, incorporating final 2006/07 and provisional 2007/08 recruitment data are scheduled to be published in January 2008.
	The Training and Development Agency (TDA) announcement of 12 November 2007 included provisional recruitment figures for academic year 2007/08 for mainstream secondary overall and Science by subject. 16,219 were on mainstream secondary courses, including 968 Biology, 739 Chemistry and 477 Physics specialists.